South China Sea - U.S. Big Plan For Asia

• published: 31 Aug 2015
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South China Sea - U.S. Big Plan For Asia United States plans to muscle up its military capacity and presence in maritime Asia, as part of its new Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy. This new strategy aims to safeguard the freedom of the seas; deter conflict and coercion; and promote adherence to international law and standards. It announced plan to increase the size, frequency, and sophistication of its regional exercises. The Department Of Defense will enhance U.S. capabilities to project power from the sea, in the air, and under the water. It will deploy some of its most advanced surface ships to the region including replacing the aircraft carrier USS George Washing in 2015 with the newer USS Ronald Reagan; sending its newest air operations-oriented amphibious assault ship, the USS America, to the region by 2020. It will deploy two additional Aegis-capable destroyers to Japan; and home-porting all three of its newest class of stealth destroyers, the DDG-1000, with the Pacific fleet. It will send it most capable air assets, including F-22s, continuous deployments of B-2 and B-52 strategic bombers, additional tilt rotor aircraft for the Marine Corps and Special Forces. In 2017, it plans to forward-station of F-35s to Iwakuni, Japan, and plan to procure 395 additional F-35 aircraft over the next several years, many of which will be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region. For the subsurface environment, the Department is basing an additional attack submarine in Guam and funding two additional Virginia class submarines and the Virginia Payload Module, a compartment added to the new attack submarines that will increase dramatically their capacity to carry weapons and other payloads. These capabilities will help protect and add versatility to its advantages at sea, in the air, and under the water. In support of these assets, the Department is investing in a comprehensive weapons modernization program, including plans for new or updated land, sea, and air-launched missiles relevant to the maritime domain. The Department Of Defense is procuring advanced precision munitions that will allow its forces to strike adversaries from greater stand-off distances, like the new extended-range Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER), and a new long-range anti-ship cruise missile that will improve the ability of U.S. aircraft to engage surface combatants in defended airspace. And it is finding new ways to use existing weapons systems, including by enhancing the capabilities resident in its current inventory of Tomahawk cruise missiles. In addition to enhancing its power projection capabilities, the Department is investing in flexible capabilities that will allow U.S to respond more rapidly and effectively to a wider range of potential maritime challenges. The rotational deployment of Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore provides the U.S. Navy with a flexible, nimble asset that can operate effectively in the region’s challenging littoral waters. The Department is currently conducting the second proof-of-concept deployment of the LCS to the region, a deployment that will not only include port calls and engagements with seven different Southeast Asian States, but also participation in one of its largest and most complex war-fighting exercises in the Republic of Korea (ROK), Foal Eagle. Additionally, it will deploy the Mobile Landing Platform (MLP) to the region, which will more effectively enable a range of missions, from counter-piracy efforts to Special Forces operations and disaster relief missions. Finally, the Department of Defense is investing in critical enabling capabilities, including persistent, deep-look ISR platforms that will provide us with greater situational awareness and early warning of potential crises in the maritime domain. The U.S. Navy is procuring 24 E-2D Hawkeye carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft, and as stated in the President’s most recent budget submission, investing $9.9 billion over the next four years to procure the final 47 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, many of which will be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region. The Department is also making substantial investments to develop the MQ-4C Triton unmanned aerial system, which will provide broad area situational awareness to its operational commanders. The first deployment of MQ-4Cs will arrive in the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR) in FY 2017.