March 09, 2017
Reassuring Asia of America’s Commitment to the Region
The Trump administration’s defense-budget increase should come as welcome news to Asian countries worried about mounting threats to regional order. A $54 billion boost this year would improve U.S. military readiness and pay for investments in new platforms and innovative technologies.
The Pentagon is now at work on the details, and the precise contours of its submission to Congress remain a work in progress. As the process unfolds, the administration should use the opportunity to reassure key Asian nations.
Security challenges in the Asia-Pacific are rising. North Korea continues to make advances in ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads, and the day is nearing when Pyongyang can deliver a nuclear payload to the continental U.S. China’s two-decade program of military modernization continues, and Beijing has made major investments in anti-access and area-denial capabilities aimed at backing U.S. forces away from the western Pacific. Russia has become more regionally active, conducting joint exercises with China’s navy in the South China Sea and reportedly establishing a strategic bomber division for Pacific patrols.
Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.
More from CNAS
-
Regional and Global Responses to a Taiwan Contingency
Reports
A contingency across the Taiwan Strait has the potential to reshape the Indo-Pacific and even global security environment. This report explores how states beyond the United St...
By Jacob Stokes, Kareen Hart, Ryan Claffey & Thomas Corel
-
What Is Voice of America and Why Trump Is Dismantling the Broadcaster
Video
For the better part of a century, Voice of America has broadcast into countries whose governments censored free information. The Trump administration has dismantled VOA's pare...
By Lisa Curtis
-
Democracy in South Asia amid U.S. Aid Cuts
Reports
The practice of democratic governance and the increased number of people across the world participating in national elections are positive trends that will help ensure governm...
By Lisa Curtis, Kareen Hart & Keerthi Martyn
-
Lessons from the U.S.-China Trade War
Podcast
America and China have agreed to a 90-day truce of their month-long trade war, but the economic uncertainty has not yet ended. Beyond tariffs, the spat had begun spilling over...
By Edward Fishman
