US defence strategy focuses on India as ally, China as threat

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US defence strategy focuses on India as ally, China as threat | Firstpost


New York: It is now beyond the shadow of a doubt that the US is investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India, and has identified China as a threat while declaring Asia as a priority to the US.


In rolling out its new strategy review on Thursday, Pentagon officials made it clear that the fronts for potential conflicts are shifting toward China.


It was a recurring theme in the eight-page strategic review document unveiled by President Obama. "Over the long-term, China's emergence as a regional power will have the potential to affect the US economy and our security in a variety of ways," the strategic review noted.

The Asia pivot comes as China has unsettled its neighbours over the past several years with the expansion of its navy and improvements in missile and surveillance capabilities. The Pentagon is worried about China's strategic goals as it begins to field a new generation of weapons.

"The growth of China's military power must be accompanied by greater clarity of its strategic intentions in order to avoid causing friction in the region," warned the strategic review.


The military's announcement follows a major diplomatic push by the US to expand security partnerships with allies in the region. On December 19, the US, India and Japan held their first trilateral meeting in Washington, in the latest sign of the Obama administration's drive to push back against rising Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region.


The Pentagon practically came out and said outright that it views India as a counterbalance to China. "The US is investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India to support its ability to serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the broader Indian Ocean region," said the strategic review.


C.Raja Mohan, a member of India's National Security Advisory Board, pointed out in his essay in American Review that the "potential implications" of a partnership between Islamabad and Beijing have also underscored for Washington what growing Chinese influence means for Asia as a whole.


"While the Obama administration has welcomed a larger Chinese role in stabilising Afghanistan, it cannot but begin to contemplate the consequences of Beijing's expanding influence in south and south-western Asia in collaboration with Pakistan," said Raja Mohan.


The Obama administration also sees a big role for India in bridging the Indian and Pacific Oceans. "The US has always been a Pacific power because of our very great blessing of geography. And India straddling the waters from the Indian to the Pacific Ocean is, with us, a steward of these waterways. We are both deeply invested in shaping the future of the region that they connect," America's top diplomat Hillary Clinton recently told her audience in Chennai.


Anyone paying attention to Obama's November trip to Asia and Clinton's visit to Myanmar saw Washington pushing back against China. While the US was bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, China had the headroom to expand its influence in the region. For the first time since the end of World War II, America's dominance is being challenged by China, which is emerging as an engine of regional economic growth.


China has advanced its influence in the region, with allies like North Korea, Pakistan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It has established itself as a growing, and sometimes bullying, power in the Pacific, particularly in East Asia. Most of the countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have festering territorial disputes with China.

Analysts say rising China has spurred America to consolidate ties with regional powers like Japan, India, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines in a policy "pivot" towards Asia. Thursday's defense review also clarifies that instead of focusing on the Middle East, as has been the case for the last decade, the US will now concentrate its power in Asia and the Pacific. America's new emphasis on Asia and the containment of China also stems from the fact that the Asia-Pacific region now constitutes the center of gravity of world economic activity.

Beijing has reacted nervously and warned Washington not to take steps which could fan Cold War-style antagonism. In the first Chinese reaction to the US policy shift, announced by President Obama on Thursday, the Global Times newspaper said China would "pay the price" if it retreated in order to appease the US. "Of course we want to prevent a new Cold War with the United States, but at the same time, we must avoid giving up China's security presence in the neighboring region," said the paper, owned by the Communist Party mouthpiece, thePeople's Daily.
 

Zebra

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India should be Asia's anchor: US

Lalit K Jha, PTI
Washington, January 08, 2012

With a long term strategic partnership with India, the US wants to support its ability to serve as an "economic anchor" in the Asia Pacific region where it is already driving economic development along with another giant China, a top US commander has said. Commander of the US Pacific Command, admiral Robert Willard, said President Barack Obama's new defence strategy, unveiled this week, underlines the growing importance of the Asia-Pacific region.He said from the high growth driven by Asian tiger economies to the emergence of giants India and China, the region has continued to be a centre of immense activity.
"At one point, it was, Asian tigers, and now we look at China and India and there are two Asian giants that are driving the economic developments in the region," Willard said delivering the keynote address at the Hawaii Military Partnership Conference.
He said the new Defence Strategic Review unveiled by President Obama stresses on building relationship with India, as the US increases its presence in the Asia-Pacific region where the US economic and security interests come across a mix of evolving "challenges and opportunities".

India should be Asia's anchor: US - Hindustan Times
 

Payeng

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so another prospect for a CVN Kittyhawk rumour?
 

ice berg

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so another prospect for a CVN Kittyhawk rumour?
US policy concerning arms sells is that it shouldnt change the balance of power in the region. A CVN will be be a game changer. I doubt it will happend any time soon. Not to mention the fact that it will be question of the air wing. India isnt buying f-35 any time soon.
 

Tshering22

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This is the old strategy. However, hopefully rationality would define our thoughts and we won't fall into this game. Earlier it was Pakistan and now it is us (at least attempts are being made). We are friendly and optimistic about our ties with USA doesn't mean that our enmity with China is a shared reason.

USA's perspective of China:

- Rising threat to world number 1 position.
- Promoting self-rule of those countries that is not favorable to US democratic system.
- Encroaching into US weapons market and may potentially make US lose billions due to cost effective weapons sales.

Our perspective:

- Has illegally occupied our lands using false history and brainwashing the Chinese public.
- Justifies further claims to 3 critical provinces and 2 sub-provinces of India.
- Supports Pakistan who in turn conducts acts of terrorism against people of India.
- Despite knowing the risks in supporting a radical and unpredictable nation like Pakistan, it continues to do the same just for keeping us distracted.


If you note, at micro level not a single one of our points converge in terms of likeliness. It is only at the macro level that says :China must be stopped". For example, we have absolutely no problem with China if it stops claiming our territories, returns taken ones back and formalizes the border with us as historically it has been. If that happens, we both could become the single most powerful military bloc on this planet and lay the foundation of Asia's NATO.
 

Bhadra

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Indian policy vis a vis China had been and will remain an independent policy and it would always be an endeavour of India to deal with China independently as per India's national interests. India shall try and achieve capability and capacities to confront or befriend China or quid pro quo basis.

It is a foregone conclusion that USA and China will emerge as the two competing countries in 21 Century. For India the security competition between the two shall be the greatest sources of worry in the region. The Indian strategies would or are likely to focus on how to remain unaligned on that front rather them alliance with one of them.

On Security front Indian efforts would and should remain focused on deterring China from undertaking a land or Naval or Air or Missile offensive against India. Economically, getting past China should be the long term goal.
 
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The Brahmaputra dam will probably worsen ties in the future when much of Bangladesh and parts of the Northeast go thru desertification.
 

Bhadra

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The Brahmaputra dam will probably worsen ties in the future when much of Bangladesh and parts of the Northeast go thru desertification.

For that China will have to face an attack from Bangladesh, through India, of course !!
 
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cant usa provide few f35 same as they are providing to pakistan
F-35 is still very much in developmental phase requiring massive investment. But India has already committed to PAKFA would it make sense to invest in a second project?? But the result would be the 2 lastest 5 gen+ planes.
 

nrj

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India's policy towards PRC depends by large on how US handles PRC.
 

arya

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Oh yes, you lend them and they will provide !!

Are we baggers !!
well usa need india and india need usa , the same deal p8i

dont you think f22 and advance drone will provide more power to IAF
 
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India has atleast 16 drone projects a tie up with Israel may be better in this regard.
 

Virendra

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Can drones help us in Naxal infested areas? If nothing, we can avoid losing some Choppers and precious lives in the coming years?
Sorry about the OT :(
 

noob101

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"The Pentagon practically came out and said outright that it views India as a counterbalance to China" This sounds similar to how the US used Pakistan in the Afghan war and forgot about them until 9/11. I like the fact that there is a good dose of skepticism in our defense establishment towards America.

Lets be honest. mostly its the majority white countries like in Europe , Australia and Isreal are the only real countries that enjoy deep strategic ties with the US. Japan and South Korea also have good ties but those are based on the threat of communism from China and Russia, plus the Japanese basically said we will out source our whole military needs to America without costing them much money.

The point that I am trying to make is that America will try to establish a partnership with India in which its security needs come first for example If China were to invade Taiwan I could see the pentagon shouting bloody murder for us to open a second front in Tibet, but if the opposite happened there probably would only be a superficial intervention by the US as a war with China would play havoc with the US economy.

I am not saying that the US policy is particularly evil, after all we would do the same thing if we were in that position. what we should do is raise our economic ties with US to a point where there US has to respect us. If maybe in the future we reach a stage where we do the same amount of business with America as Japan then the equation will change. This will take a while to happen until then our relationship with America should be cordial without too many promises.

We seem to be on the right track now, but I hope at some point in the future GOI and politicians see the advantage of being in the American camp in the same lines that Japan and South Korea are.
 

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