The Pentagon plans to establish new military repair hubs in five Asia Pacific nations amid its buildup in the region aimed at China, Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday.
Sources told Nikkei the hubs will be set up in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and Australia. The project, known as the Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF), envisions a global network of repair facilities for US planes, ships, vehicles, and other warfighting equipment.
The idea is to create facilities to repair and maintain equipment closer to its deployment area rather than bringing it back to the US. The Pentagon plans to launch pilot programs in the Asia Pacific and then establish similar hubs in Europe and Latin America.
The focus on the Asia Pacific is part of the US military buildup that’s being done explicitly in the name of preparing for a future war with China. US military officials are openly discussing a future direct conflict with the Chinese military despite the risk of it quickly turning nuclear.
In July, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. was asked if he believed the US could beat China in a war over Taiwan. “Yes, I’m fully confident in our force. We are the most lethal, most respected combat force in the world,” he said.
Brown acknowledged the war would be the largest conflict since World War II and said the US was preparing for it by stockpiling weapons, ammunition, and other types of supplies. “These will be major conflicts akin to what we saw in WWII, and so we’ve got to come to grips with that,” he said.
