Book Description

The Asia-Pacific region is rapidly emerging as a major focus of American interest. Since America's acknowledgement of Asia's importance in the 2010 National Security Strategy, the United States has sought means and developed methods with which to enhance engagement in the region. Regional organizations, dialogues, and diplomacy are among the methods the U.S. employs. The role of American armed forces in the region is to support these important activities.As the United States rebalances to the Asia-Pacific region, current strategies focus on the contributions of air and sea-based capabilities articulated in the Air-Sea Battle concept. But while America looks toward the Pacific and sees a vast area of ocean and air, Asian nations view themselves regionally and primarily as land-based powers. This is particularly important because over half the world's population lives on the Asian continent. Given the cultures of Asian nations and America's military history in the Asia-Pacific region, we should not neglect the potential contributions of the U.S. Army to Asian-Pacific strategy. It is also important for the Army to think seriously and critically about how it can best contribute to furthering America's strategic interests in the region. This study comprises an analysis of the U.S. Army's history in Asia and the Pacific along with current American and Asian actors' contemporary security interests in effort to determine what role the U.S. Army should play in shaping American strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. Taking into account threats to regional stability in the region, the 21st century requirements for America's army in the region should include four primary and four auxiliary missions. The four primary missions are deterring war and enhancing regional stability, preparing for war, foreign military assistance, and counterterrorism. The four auxiliary missions are helping inculcate American values, responding to humanitarian and natural crises, securing and eliminating WMD, and establishing military governance. The study then concludes by recommending specific steps the Army must take to enhance its capabilities in areas where those capabilities do not fully meet these above requirements.This compilation includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.