The United States is beefing up its posture in the Asia-Pacific region and will be moving some of its newest capabilities—such as the F-35, destroyers and a freshly-built amphibious ship—to the area over the next couple of years, said the Pentagon’s new Asia-Pacific maritime security strategy released on Thursday.
The Asia Pacific has become a hot spot in recent years as countries invest in military platforms and equipment and engage in territorial disputes over islands in the South and East China seas, David Shear, Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, said during a briefing on Friday. In response, the U.S. military is increasing its capabilities in the region, including deploying its finest assets forward and distributing them more widely.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be stationed in Iwakuni, Japan, as early as 2017, the report said. More V-22 Ospreys will also deploy to the area to support the Marine Corps and special operations communities.
Some of the Navy’s newest ships will be home ported in the Asia-Pacific, including all three Zumwalt-class destroyers (DDG 1000). The USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship that was delivered last year, will deploy to the region by 2020. The Navy also plans to move two additional Aegis capable Arleigh Burke-class destroyers to Japan, the report said.
This year, the service will replace the USS George Washington (CVN-73) with one of its newer aircraft carriers, the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
The Joint High Speed Vessel in 2018 will deploy to Guam, and an additional attack submarine will be based there. The country will also be home to the first deployment of the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial systems, which will arrive at Andersen Air Base in 2017, the report said.
Fielding more flexible platforms is also a priority for the service so that it can respond more quickly to a wider variety of contingencies, it stated. The Navy is on track to field a rotational deployment of four ships in Singapore by 2017. Additionally, it will deploy a Mobile Landing Platform to the region to conduct special operations, counter piracy and disaster relief missions.
“I believe the Littoral Combat Ship is ideally suited to a role in the South China Sea,” Shear said. “It’s fast, it’s light, it’s very flexible and maneuverable, and it has a 15-foot draft, which means that these vessels can go places where few other U.S. naval vessels can go.”
The maritime strategy is in part driven by the actions of China, which in past years has stepped up its naval activities and has been involved in numerous territorial disputes with its neighbors. It has reclaimed more than 29,000 acres of land in the Spratly Islands as of June 2015, a number that represents about 95 percent of all reclaimed land, the report said.
“While land reclamation is not new, and China is not the only claimant that has conducted reclamation, China’s recent activities outweigh other efforts in size, pace and nature,” Shear said.
China also is rapidly growing and modernizing its navy. It currently owns 303 combatant ships, more than the United States and more than three times its nearest Asian competitor, Japan, which has a 67-vessel fleet, the report stated. China also has a large maritime law enforcement fleet, with 205 ships. Japan and Vietnam have 78 and 55 of law enforcement ships, respectively.
The report found that several nations have been using law enforcement ships to further their claims in the East China Sea and South China Sea. For instance, the Chinese coast guard maintains a presence near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and Scarborough Reef in the South China Sea.