New US Defense Strategy for Asian Stability

The Obama administration unveiled a new defense strategy to reduce defense spending. The strategy calls for abandoning a traditional “two-front war” by focusing American military presence in the Asian-Pacific Rim. While dealing with economic distress, the hardships of the Obama administration, which wants to somehow halt China’s expansion, are to be handed down, but the administration wants to estimate actual support.

At the same time, a review of the “two-front war’s” activity prior to the Obama administration was released. Last year, when the U.S. Department of State officially announced the “Quadrennial Defense Review” (QDR), then Defense Secretary Robert Gates concluded that the “two-front war” was outdated.

Even within the new defense strategy the indicated idea is to restrain enemies in “the second region,” but for all intents and purposes, the strategy is about ending the “two-front war.” The era of dealing with China and Iran is especially underway. Due to the change in military strategy, handling the dispute appears insufficient in helping future demands.

This time, President Obama, who left to address the Department of Defense, spoke of how U.S. defense spending has increased at an “unusual pace” due to terrorism since 2001. After this Obama reported that 2010’s defense spending probably slowed. In 2010, the defense expenditures were cut to by approximately $490 billion. Because nothing comes from nothing, the plan is to reduce U.S. military forces around the world, shifting focus to the Asian-Pacific Rim.

Last November, President Obama stationed a maximum of 2,500 marines in the northern region of Australia as part of an agreement and expressed that maintaining stability in the Asian-Pacific Rim is the main objective. As a response to China, which continues making aircraft carriers and increasing its missiles, naval and air power, the U.S. and Australia made plan for cooperation. The defense plan includes mobilizing drones and cruise that can strike China from a long distance.

The U.S. is also warning of China’s cyber attacks, including a larger confrontation between the U.S. and China. It’s not strange for the U.S., which withdrew troops from Iraq and wants to bring an end to the war in Afghanistan, to shift its economic and strategic focus to the Asian-Pacific Rim. To say that the U.S.-China conflict may become like the cold war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is a bit worrisome. Because of the U.S. military presence, China and the cooperation of neighboring countries, the Korean Penninsula hopes to attain a favorable influence.

However, as Obama says, whether or not the U.S. raised the score in Iraq and Afghanistan and successfully secured its defense, all kinds of military personnel want to welcome the president’s decision, who don’t want to repeat mistakes of the past. But there is a strong opposition against reducing the size of U.S. military, worried about its impact on defense capabilities. President Obama, who seeks reelection, hopes his new defense strategy will revive his popularity and be a turning point in the world.