Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greets military personnel at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, March 14, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin has embarked on a trip to the Indo-Pacific region to shore up alliances and partnerships with an eye on China. Defense Secretary Austin along with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken will visit Japan and South Korea this week. This is the first trip of both Austin and Blinken out of the country. Both Japan and South Korea are treaty allies of the United States. The rise of China and the problems of dealing with North Korea are among the issues they will discuss. Austin is also set to discuss enhancing capabilities with Japan and South Korea, and will most certainly warn the Indo-Pacific allies that China is a serious menace to the region. Speaking with reporters traveling with him, Secretary Austin said:
“China is our pacing threat. Our goal is to make sure that we have the capabilities and the operational plans and concepts to be able to offer credible deterrence to China or anybody else who would want to take on the U.S.”
-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
The U.S. Defense Secretary told journalists that America “has more alliances than any other country in the world, more partnerships than any other country in the world. They give us a lot more capability and so one of the big things the Secretary of State and I want to do, is begin to strengthen those alliances — great alliances, great partnerships to begin with.”
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets with the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Navy Adm. Philip S. Davidson, at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters, Hawaii, March 14, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando
Austin pointed out that the United States focused on the Middle East for the last two decades at the expense of Beijing, and that the U.S . competitive edge as eroded. “China has worked to build a modernized military capability,” the secretary said, while quick to note: “We still maintain the edge and we’re going to increase the edge going forward.” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command covers 51 percent of the globe. The region has 60 percent of the world’s population. The United States and China are the world’s largest economies.
Meetings in Tokyo Signify Importance Biden administration places on U.S. relationships in Northeast Asia
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greets the commander of U.S. Forces Japan, Air Force Lt. Gen. Kevin B. Schneider, upon arrival at Yokota Air Force Base, Japan, March 15, 2021. (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
The Pentagon said the visit of Secretary of Defense Austin and Secretary of State Blinken to Japan is all about consulting on shared concerns and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific; the meetings in Tokyo signify the importance the new administration places on U.S. relationships in Northeast Asia. Blinken and Austin will meet with Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. The trip is about investing in the U.S.-Japan relationship, “which is our cornerstone alliance for Indo-Pacific strategy,” a senior defense official said, adding, “It’s about maintaining peace and stability across the priority theater for the department and for our country.”
Diplomacy is at the center of U.S. foreign policy
The Defense and State department secretaries making the visits by cabinet-level leaders in the Biden administration to Northeast Asia sends an unmistakable signal of the importance that America places on the relationship, the Pentagon said.
