US plans stronger military posture towards China, Russia
WASHINGTON: The US military will reinforce deployments and bases directed at China and Russia, while maintaining forces in the Middle East adequate to deter Iran and extremist groups, the Pentagon said on Monday, referencing results of a review.
The US Defense Department will be upgrading and expanding military facilities in Guam and Australia, underscoring its focus on China as the country’s leading defence rival, officials said.
The details of the “global posture review”, commissioned by President Joe Biden’s administration early this year, would remain classified, the officials added, so as not to reveal plans to rivals.
The move comes in the wake of the formation of a new defence alliance between the United States, Britain and Australia, dubbed Aukus, to counter a rising China, which has been building up its own navy and testing decades of US military dominance across Asia.
The pact was formed as Beijing solidifies its control over the disputed South China Sea and intensifies its military threats towards Taiwan, of which the United States is a key ally and arms supplier.
The review confirmed the priority region for the US military was the Indo-Pacific, said top Pentagon policy official Mara Karlin.
The review “directs additional cooperation with allies and partners across the region to advance initiatives that contribute to regional stability and deter potential military aggression from China and threats from North Korea,” she said.
In addition, it “strengthens the combat-credible deterrent against Russian aggression in Europe and enables Nato forces to operate more effectively”.
However, the Middle East remains an area of flux for the Pentagon after the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Global responsibilities “require us to make continuous changes to our Middle East posture, but we always have the capability to rapidly deploy forces to the region based on the threat environment,” Karlin said.
China’s Foreign Ministry yesterday hit back at the review, accusing the Pentagon of “creating an imaginary enemy”.