U.S. troops headed to Australia, irking China

The Washington Post ^ | Wednesday, November 16, 2011 | David Nakamura

[MinorityRepublican]

Obama met with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and announced a permanent military presence in Australia beginning next summer.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — The Obama administration announced plans Wednesday to establish a permanent military presence in Australia, part of the president’s high-profile foreign policy shift toward Asia that is intended as a counterbalance to China’s growing power.

The move to send 250 Marines to bases here for six-month tours starting next summer, eventually rotating 2,500 troops through the country, is the first step toward the administration’s larger goal of repositioning the United States as a leader on both economics and security in the fast-developing Asia Pacific. The pivot appears to be aimed at rethinking Washington’s global commitments at a time when the White House is attempting to draw down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and when budget cuts threaten to curtail defense spending.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — The Obama administration announced plans Wednesday to establish a permanent military presence in Australia, part of the president’s high-profile foreign policy shift toward Asia that is intended as a counterbalance to China’s growing power.

The move to send 250 Marines to bases here for six-month tours starting next summer, eventually rotating 2,500 troops through the country, is the first step toward the administration’s larger goal of repositioning the United States as a leader on both economics and security in the fast-developing Asia Pacific. The pivot appears to be aimed at rethinking Washington’s global commitments at a time when the White House is attempting to draw down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and when budget cuts threaten to curtail defense spending.

[MimirsWell]

As a foreigner, I am a bit dismayed at the degree of nay-saying that I see sometimes on FR. This is a good move for American Geo-Political strategy and for the smaller countries in the region and don’t go off on a tangent about Iraq and Afghanistan and all that. On those points, I agree. Hillary in a rare show of sense, got it spot on that Asia is where the future will be decided, not Afghanistan. Australia is the safest bet for a future military base in the region without and in your face presence in Vietnam (if that were even feasible) or a return to Philippines.

This move sends the Chinese a message and it serves that purpose well. They will be afraid to be as belligerent as they have been and will in turn serve American interests by keeping China pegged in to the little water strip skirting their coast instead of claiming the whole South China sea.