Rebalance to Asia and the Pacific: Leveraging Vietnam to Counter-Balance China
Abstract
After 10 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. is attempting to rebalance and has identified a need to pivot to the Pacific for long term national interest. The emergence of China, economically and militarily, is the key factor in the rebalancing strategy. The U.S. must commit more focus and resources to Asia and the Pacific if it desires to remain an influential power in the region. However, the U.S. finds itself in a fiscally constrained environment and implementing a force reduction in the military. A strategic partnership with Vietnam is a partial solution to address this dilemma. Vietnam appears to have the capabilities and willingness to provide the U.S. a counter-balance to China in the region. Relationships between Vietnam and the U.S. have warmed in recent years, conversely, Vietnam's relationship with China has cooled due to the perceived aggression of Beijing in the littoral region of the South China Sea. Beijing's controversial claims on the Spratly Islands have only intensified tensions in the territory and supports the pivot to the Pacific by the U.S.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1019965
Entities
People
- Gary Dettloff
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College