Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced a new initiative on Tuesday to counter China and Russia, another sign of the Pentagon’s shift away from counter-terrorism towards so-called “great power competition.”
The initiative, called the Guidance for Development for Alliances and Partnerships, aims to strengthen and expand US alliances with “like-minded democracies.”
While unveiling the initiative in a speech at the Atlantic Council, Esper stressed the importance of alliances to counter Russia and China. “America’s network of allies and partners provides us an asymmetric advantage our adversaries cannot match,” he said. “China and Russia probably have fewer than 10 allies combined.”
Esper said the US needs to build stronger ties with “like-minded democracies such as India and Indonesia.”
Esper mentioned trips he made recently to Asia to seek more defense cooperation in China’s backyard. The Pentagon chief made recent trips to Palau, Malta, and Mongolia. Palau, a small island nation in the western Pacific, invited the US to build a military base in its territory during Esper’s visit.
At the same event, Esper defended the administration’s plan to withdraw about 12,000 troops from Germany, explaining many of them will be redeployed further east, closer to Russia’s border. The original plan called for half of the troops leaving Germany to be sent home to the US, but Esper said stationing more of them in Eastern Europe is a possibility.
Last week, Esper called for an increase in military spending to face Russia and China. “I would like to see three to five percent annual real growth for the Defense Department to stay ahead of the challenges we face, especially from China,” he said.
“America’s network of allies and partners provides us an asymmetric advantage our adversaries cannot match,” he said. “China and Russia probably have fewer than 10 allies combined.”
And by “allies” we mean patsies that we can manipulate and threaten into agreeing with anything we say.
“Esper mentioned trips he made recently to Asia to seek more defense cooperation in China’s backyard. The Pentagon chief made recent trips to Palau, Malta, and Mongolia. Palau, a small island nation in the western Pacific, invited the US to build a military base in its territory during Esper’s visit.”
Talking casually about making a trip to China’s backyard seeking defense cooperation. I’m sure we wouldn’t have a problem with China reciprocating. And Malta and Mongolia didn’t invite us to build a military base in their territory? Mustn’t have gotten the memo.
Mongolia? It has two borders. Russia and China,
And that matters to us?
To Pompeo, obviously does. It was worth the trip cost. Otherwise, Embassy could do that. Usually, when new vassals are acquired, someone from the top must give some hefty promises.
Strange approach. It assumes that all vassals will continue with US concept of economic blockade using whatever pretext.
Indicative is the case of Germany. All states in the Western dominated world either subjects or objects. They either sits at the table making decisions or decisions are made for them.
Germany was an object since WWII. But Soviet Union and later Russia gave it subjectivity in their mutual relations.
To counter that — UK exit from EU politics created an opportunity for US to give Germany a limited subjectivity as leader of EU. Waning days of Merkel rule are perfect for the turnaround in German politics.
It is a crowning glory to Merkel era.
Her Polish parents, and her father in particular having converted, and as a clergy went to East Germany to participate in agitation for reunification — turmoil chiefly religion inspired. His daughter did her share at the university, being a prominent student leader. Once NGO — always NGO.
She succeeded to slowly weaken German banking and gradually put it under EU Central Bank special funding rules.
Slowly but surely — Germany has transformed into a tool for “countering” Russia.
Her potential successors are all very qualified to pick up where she left off.
But it is already clear that Germany has received a false subjectivity. Her economic interests are all in the east — and will not achieve them by being somebody else’s tool.
Stepping on that rake for the third time?