The United States wants to be a partner, a collaborator and, if the need arises, a protector in Asia, US defence chief Robert Gates told a gathering of regional defence chiefs and military officials.
Ties with its allies, partners and other countries in this region are evolving in line with realities, but the US is committed to staying engaged, Mr Gates said, addressing the opening plenary at the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.
01 June 2008: Straits Times
US defence chief says that as 'resident power' in the region, it can be a protector
By Shefali Rekhi, Assistant Foreign Editor
The United States wants to be a partner, a collaborator and, if the need arises, a protector in Asia, US defence chief Robert Gates told a gathering of regional defence chiefs and military officials.
Ties with its allies, partners and other countries in this region are evolving in line with realities, but the US is committed to staying engaged, Mr Gates said, addressing the opening plenary at the Shangri-La Dialogue yesterday.
Washington is a 'resident power' and intends to participate in the discussions on the 'new security architecture', he reiterated.
The next US administration will also attach high priority to relations with Asia, he said.
Mr Gates' address at the Dialogue comes at a time of concern here that developments in Iraq and Afghanistan have distracted Washington from Asia.
This is also the last year of the Bush administration, and some fear that developments in the Middle East could keep the new administration's focus on the volatile situation there.
This is the seventh year of the Dialogue, organised by the London-based think tank International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS). Twenty-seven countries are participating.
The gathering offers an opportunity to hold discussions on security issues in a less formal environment.
Mr Gates used the term 'resident power' to draw attention to the sovereign American territory in the western Pacific, from the Aleutian Islands to Guam, and to emphasise Washington's connections with this region.
America's alliances 'are being transformed to fit the realities of the 21st century', he said.
There has been significant improvement in US-Japan and US-Indian relations and a new Defence Telephone Link has been established with China.
'What we have seen in Asia in recent years marks a shift that reflects new thinking in overall US defence strategy. We are building partner-nation capacity so friends can better defend themselves.
'While preserving all of our conventional military deterrence abilities as traditionally understood, we have become more attentive to both 'hard' and 'soft' elements of national power...to ensure better long-term security based on our own capabilities and those of our partners.'
Incidentally, there was no direct criticism of China in his talk.
He reiterated that Washington was 'against exclusivity' and said the new security architecture being discussed can 'only succeed if we treat the region as a single entity - there is little room for a separate 'East Asian' order'.
Asked to elaborate on Washington's role in this region, Mr Gates said: 'I see our role in Asia as partner and collaborator, and I think it will take many different forms under many different circumstances.
'We will be a protector if that is required in the context of our security environment. We will bring humanitarian assistance when that is required.'
His remarks left the discussions open-ended.
Mr Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, asked if the other powers in this region had plans for an Asia-Pacific region without a strong American presence.
Mr Barry Desker, dean of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, felt that the most important part of Mr Gates' address was the emphasis on partnerships with countries in this region.
He put forward an American perspective, but one which was geared to emphasise the cooperative relationship between the US and states in the region,' he said. 'It emphasised America's multilateral interests in the region, its willingness to cooperate with partners in the region rather than adopt a unilateralist approach.'
Dr Tim Huxley, executive director of IISS-Asia, felt the emphasis on partnerships was driven by Washington's interests.
'Clearly the US has become more interested in multilateral approaches to Asian security progressively during this decade,' he told The Sunday Times.
Later, Mr Gates called on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The two discussed a wide range of issues, including recent developments in Asia and the Middle East and affirmed the security ties between Singapore and the United States.
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