Asia-Pacific Region Priority Act

The United States has a national interest in maintaining the stability and security of the global commons in the Asia-Pacific region.

In October 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton laid out an enduring vision for continued United States involvement in the Asia-Pacific region throughout the coming century through strengthened security alliances, deeper relations with emerging powers, broader engagement with regional multilateral institutions, greater trade and investment, a broad-based security posture, and the pursuit of democracy and protection of human rights.

In November 2011, President Barack Obama stated before the Australian Parliament that the United States will stand for security as the foundation of peace and prosperity, the rights and responsibilities of all nations and people, international law enforcing agreements and norms, freedom of commerce and navigation, integration of emerging powers into a regional security architecture, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

In January 2012, the Defense Strategic Guidance, released by the Department of Defense, emphasized the importance of the Asia-Pacific region, citing “U.S. economic and security interests are inextricably linked to developments in the arc extending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into the Indian Ocean region and South Asia,” and accordingly, “we will of necessity rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region”.

In June 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta reaffirmed at the Shangri-La Dialogue that the United States remains committed to the principles of open and free commerce, a just international order that emphasizes rights and responsibilities of all nations and a fidelity to the rule of law, open access by all to the shared domains of sea, air, space, and cyberspace, and the resolution of disputes without coercion or the use of force.

The United States relationships with its treaty allies in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and Thailand, are at the heart of United States policy and engagement in the region, and these countries share a common approach to supporting peace and stability, freedom of navigation, and other internationally lawful uses of sea and airspace in the region.

The United States continues to work with these and other regional countries on a range of transnational security and humanitarian issues, including countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, encouraging the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes, responding to and mitigating humanitarian disasters, halting the illicit trafficking of people, drugs, and weapons, coordinating to monitor and combat the risk of pandemic disease, and fighting the disruptive activities of state and non-state actors for the betterment of regional stability and prosperity.

The United States military continues to work closely with the armed forces of these and other regional countries to maintain vigilance against threats to the global commons and international order, deter against acts of aggression, and field capabilities to mitigate risks to allied and partner states in the Asia-Pacific region.

Security shifts in the Asia-Pacific region over the past decade have prompted a reassessment of the forces and capabilities necessary to provide domain awareness, credible deterrence, and effective defense in future decades to uphold the United States security commitments to the region and to maintain regional stability.

As provided in written testimony to the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives in March 2014, Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, noted that, “North Korea remains our most dangerous and enduring challenge … North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, in contravention of its international obligations, constitutes a significant threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.”.

As provided in written testimony to the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives in November 2013, Dr. Larry Wortzel, Commissioner, United States–China Economic and Security Review Commission, noted that, “China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is undergoing an extensive modernization program that presents significant challenges to U.S. security interests in Asia.”.

As Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, Mr. Frank Kendall, testified before the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives on January 28, 2014, “Anti-access aerial denial capabilities that concern us cover a range of conventional capabilities. In the case of China in particular, for example, they include space control investments, offense cyber capabilities, conventional ballistic and cruise missiles with precision-seekers designed both fixed land installations and surface ships, including aircraft carriers; air-to-air capabilities, including fifth-generation fighters, long-range missiles with advance technologies seekers, and electronic warfare systems.”.

the security, stability, and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region is vital to United States national interests;

security and stability, largely provided by United States forces and their forward presence, underwrite United States national interests in the Asia-Pacific region;

the United States remains unwavering in its commitment and support for allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region;

efforts by the Department of Defense to realign forces, commit additional assets, and increase investments to the Asia-Pacific region are welcome signs of the United States continued commitment to the region;

to counter anti-access and area-denial capabilities, deter regional aggression, assure allies and partners, sustain military balance in the Asia-Pacific region, and enable more effective operations in contested and denied environments, the Department of Defense will need to—

the development of regional institutions and bodies, including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Minister’s Meeting, the East Asia Summit, and the expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum, should be supported to build practical cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region and reinforce the role of international law.