The U.S. Pivot To Asia is Falling Short

U.S. President Barack Obama walks towards to Air Force One during his departure at Manila international airport April 29, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Romeo Ranoco

Obama’s Pivot To Asia Will Lack Firepower -- The Hill

President Obama’s pivot to Asia will lack a crucial military underpinning next year, when for four months, the Navy will not have an aircraft carrier in the region.

Defense cuts have helped shrink the number of available carriers, alarming GOP lawmakers who are fighting the Pentagon’s plan to permanently cut the number of U.S. carriers to 10.

They argue not having a carrier in the region for months at a time will send a signal of U.S. weakness, as China seeks to make territorial claims against several U.S. allies over the East China Sea.

“Symbolically, the worst thing we could do around the globe is to take one of those carriers out,” Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) told defense reporters on Tuesday. “We really need two or three carriers there.”

According to Forbes and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), there will not be a carrier in the region for about 130 days next year, between when the USS George Washington leaves its base in Japan, and when its replacement, the USS Ronald Reagan, arrives there.

They argue this would leave the U.S. with fewer options to respond to flare-ups.

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Update: Obama reassures allies, but doubts over 'pivot' to Asia persist -- Reuters

My Comment: I am old enough to remember the enormous presence that the U.S. once had in Asia .... those days are now clearly gone. The fact that the U.S. Navy will not even have an aircraft carrier in Asian waters for 4 months or more next year is sending a signal to everyone in the region that the U.S. military presence is declining .... and with more Pentagon budget coming down the pipe .... everyone is realizing that this presence is going to be diminished even more.