Washington: U.S. forces will re-strengthen deployment and bases targeted China and Russia, while keeping Middle Eastern troops strong enough to block Iran and jihadist groups, the Pentagon said Monday, citing the results of the review.
The U.S. Department of Defense will be developing and expanding military bases in Guam and Australia, emphasizing its focus on China as a leading defense ally, officials said.
The details of the “land reform review,” approved by President Joe Biden’s administration earlier this year, will remain confidential, officials added, so as not to reveal plans to rivals.
The move comes in the wake of the formation of a new defense alliance, called AUKUS, between the United States, Britain and Australia to fight a growing China, which has been building its own navy and monitoring US military rule for decades across Asia.
That agreement was established as Beijing strengthened its control over the disputed South China Sea and strengthened its military threats against Taiwan, a key United States partner and arms supplier.
The review confirmed that the most important area in the U.S. military was the Indo-Pacific, said Mara Karlin, Pentagon’s chief policy officer.
The review “directs more cooperation with partners and partners across the region to develop programs that contribute to regional stability and prevent military violence from China and threats from North Korea,” he told reporters.
In addition, “it strengthens the credible barriers to Russian violence in Europe and makes NATO forces more effective,” he said.
The Middle East, however, remains the site of the Pentagon after the long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.