Edited by Anita Dixon
Leon Panetta, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, attended the commencement of the U.S. Naval Academy and said: “America’s future prosperity and security are tied to our ability to advance peace and security along the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean and South Asia. That reality is inescapable for our country and for our military, which has already begun broadening and deepening our engagement throughout the Asia-Pacific.” Panetta recently set off for a visit to the Southeast Asian countries, and he will visit China later this year. It will be his first visit to China as Secretary of Defense.
On May 29, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Panetta, said that the Asia-Pacific region will be the U.S. Navy’s next focus, and the U.S. Navy needs to enhance its strength in the region. Analysts said that Panetta’s speech sends an important signal of the U.S. military’s re-adoption of the Asia-Pacific regional strategy.
America Strengthens Intervention in Asia-Pacific Regional Affairs
On May 29, in Annapolis, Maryland, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Panetta, attended the U.S. Naval Academy’s commencement ceremony. Panetta said to the graduates that the U.S. Navy is returning to its maritime roots in the Asia-Pacific region. “The key of the project is for [the graduates’] generation to sustain and enhance America’s strength across the Pacific maritime region.”
Panetta told the graduates the three key points of their mission: to strengthen the defense system against some countries, to modernize ties with America’s traditional allies such as Japan and South Korea and to maintain good relations with new partners such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore. He said that: “America’s future prosperity and security are tied to our ability to advance peace and security along the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean and South Asia. That reality is inescapable for our country and for our military, which has already begun broadening and deepening our engagement throughout the Asia-Pacific.”
Panetta believes that the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps must lead the United States’ resurgence of control over the waters of the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. “We must be prepared to confront any challenge. But the key to peace in that region is to develop a new era of defense cooperation between our countries — one in which our militaries share security burdens to advance peace in the Asia-Pacific and around the world.”
Some analysts said that Panetta’s remarks showed a greater emphasis on the United States’ strategic plan to return to the Asia-Pacific region, especially with the power shift in the region in recent years. Last November, U.S. President Barack Obama said during his visit in Australia that the Asia-Pacific region would be the top priority of U.S. national defense strategy. He stressed that, “The United States is a Pacific power and we are here to stay.”
Wednesday’s Visit to Southeast Asia — Defense Talk
Even though the call for cutting military spending is rising in the U.S., Panetta promised to maintain R&D spending on cyber warfare, unmanned systems, space and special operations forces, “We will ensure our military can confront aggression and defeat any opponent anytime, anywhere.”
On Wednesday, Panetta departed for his visit to Southeast Asia. He will visit China later this year; it will be his first visit to China as Secretary of Defense. Panetta told the graduates: “I’ll tell all of these [ Southeast Asian] nations that the United States will remain a Pacific power, and I’ll tell them why: because of you. Because during your careers, many of you will be headed to the Pacific.”
This year, there are a total of 1,099 graduates (222 women): 810 of them will be appointed as Naval officers, 267 of them will be appointed as Marine Corps officers, and the rest will be sent to the Air Force and the Coast Guard.
The Secretary of Defense Respects Homosexual Relationships in the Military
The great surprise at the commencement is that the Secretary of Defense spoke about the issue of homosexuality in the military. Since the repeal last September of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the U.S. military, this year’s graduates are the first class to be able to tell the public their sexual orientations. He said to the graduates, “You are men and women from every state in the Union and 12 foreign nations, rich and poor, secular and religious, black, white, Latino, Native American, Asian, straight and gay.” Panetta’s speech won the graduates’ cheerful applause.
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