Pacific Shift
Shift of US Maritime Priorities from Atlantic to Asia Pacific Region
Implication for Pakistan
INTRODUCTION
It is important to note at the outset of this brief presentation on the key security challenges facing the United States in Asia, the implications of these challenges for the defense sector, and the prospects for regional cooperation, that President Obama’s remarkable November 2011 visit across the region should not obscure how much the United States continues to be also engaged elsewhere Experts and politicians should avoid a narrow focus on the bilateral China –US relationship. They must not neglect the complex realities of the region when framing the story about Asia-Pacific in world politics. Publicly available official United States statements and documents highlight a range of security challenges facing the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Regarding Asia, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Admiral Robert Willard for example listed eight security challenges in testimony to a congressional committee in April 2011. These included: North Korea, violent extremist organizations, China’s military modernization with unclear intent, assertive postures on territorial disputes, cyber threats, transnational crime, humanitarian disasters and environmental degradation. Variations on these themes — by scope, detail and priority — may be found in other official assessments. The United States is working actively to be able to deal with these challenges. I would like to look beyond these “known knowns” to consider some over-arching challenges to US policy in the region. I believe there are three broad categories of such challenges:
• Sustaining the “pivot”/“rebalancing” towards the Asia-Pacific;
• Managing security mechanisms; and
• “Re-mapping” US Asia-Pacific policy.
AIM
Aim of my study is to carry out analysis of US Maritime policy shift from atlantic to asian region.
Scope
1. Challenges to US policy
2. Sustaining the “Pivot”/“Rebalancing” to
Implication for Pakistan
INTRODUCTION
It is important to note at the outset of this brief presentation on the key security challenges facing the United States in Asia, the implications of these challenges for the defense sector, and the prospects for regional cooperation, that President Obama’s remarkable November 2011 visit across the region should not obscure how much the United States continues to be also engaged elsewhere Experts and politicians should avoid a narrow focus on the bilateral China –US relationship. They must not neglect the complex realities of the region when framing the story about Asia-Pacific in world politics. Publicly available official United States statements and documents highlight a range of security challenges facing the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Regarding Asia, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command Admiral Robert Willard for example listed eight security challenges in testimony to a congressional committee in April 2011. These included: North Korea, violent extremist organizations, China’s military modernization with unclear intent, assertive postures on territorial disputes, cyber threats, transnational crime, humanitarian disasters and environmental degradation. Variations on these themes — by scope, detail and priority — may be found in other official assessments. The United States is working actively to be able to deal with these challenges. I would like to look beyond these “known knowns” to consider some over-arching challenges to US policy in the region. I believe there are three broad categories of such challenges:
• Sustaining the “pivot”/“rebalancing” towards the Asia-Pacific;
• Managing security mechanisms; and
• “Re-mapping” US Asia-Pacific policy.
AIM
Aim of my study is to carry out analysis of US Maritime policy shift from atlantic to asian region.
Scope
1. Challenges to US policy
2. Sustaining the “Pivot”/“Rebalancing” to