US Navy to move 60% of warships to Asia

The Jakarta Post - 

The United States will move the bulk of its warships to this part of the world, as it grapples with China's rising military power and a tightening defense budget.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the US Navy will reposition 60 per cent of its warships in Asia by 2020, as part of its new military strategy that focuses on Asia.

This is up from the current 50 per cent of its fleet that is in this region, including six aircraft carriers, destroyers, combat ships and submarines.

The other half of the fleet is based in the Atlantic. Panetta said the US would also increase the number and size of the training exercises it conducts alongside its allies in the region.

"Make no mistake, in a steady, deliberate and sustainable way, the United States military is rebalancing and is bringing an enhanced capability development to this vital region," he said.

Panetta gave these details in a speech to some 350 top military brass and defense ministers on the second day of the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.

This is the first time that Panetta is elaborating on the new US defence policy announced in January to "pivot" or "rebalance" towards Asia, even as he downplayed concerns that the shift would raise tensions with China.

"We are not naive about the relationship and neither is China," Panetta said.

Full story...

Posted via http://maritime-news.posterous.com Maritime-News posterous