Description

China is pursuing an overt new strategy in Southeast Asia oriented around the Strait of Malacca in an effort to secure its access to oil. There is simultaneously a covert effort underway to expand Chinese influence in Asia with the goal of it eventually becoming the primary Pacific power displacing the US. As China's power grows over the next 15-25 years, US economic, political and military interests will be increasingly challenged by it in the region. The challenge could either be peaceful or confrontational. The US Armed Forces must be prepared for the worse case scenario. The US needs to adjust its own overseas basing strategy in the Pacific to meet the Chinese rise. The current military pull back from NE Asia (Korea and Japan) should continue, but those forces need to be redistributed in SE Asia. A series of permanent US military facilities in SE Asia is needed to counter an expanding Chinese military presence in the region. Three or more Main Operating Bases (MOBs) strategically located throughout the SLOCs with runway and port facilities are required. Subic Bay in the Philippines, Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, and Singapore fit these criteria perfectly. The permanent basing of a second carrier strike group (CSG) in Singapore is in order. Moving the CSG out of Japan and basing it in Guam is needed as well. Only through the permanent presence of military forces in SE Asia will the growing Chinese influence be contained.