The Future U.S. Military Presence in Asia: Landpower and the Geostrategy of American Commitment,

Abstract

For more than 50 years, countries around the world have looked to the United States for international leadership. Most Asian governments welcome a U.S. presence in the region to help preserve security and stability. They know that an American presence does not mean an occupying force since, if asked, the United States leaves. These countries are reassured by a more or less continuous presence of U.S. forces in a way that the temporary passage or intervention of expeditionary forces will not accomplish. The credibility and deterrent effect of a soldier (sailor, airman, or marine) on the ground represents commitment and stability. Face-to-face contact and "boots on the ground" are the only ways to defeat the "tyranny of distance" and really effect events on land in support of U.S. interests. The nexus of vital U.S. interests in Asia is in Northeast Asia because of the presence of five traditionally warring powers there: North and South Korea, Japan, Russia, and China.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 06, 1999
Accession Number
ADA365088

Entities

People

  • Larry M. Wortzel
  • Robert H. Scales Jr.

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Asia
  • Combat Forces
  • Far East
  • Governments
  • International Relations
  • Military History
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Northeast Asia
  • Political Systems
  • South Korea
  • Southeast Asia
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Strategic Security Studies