(philstar.com)
Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of the United States Pacific Command.
MANILA, Philippines - As part of the Obama administration's rebalancing strategy, the United States will position its top armed forces capabilities in the Asia Pacific, a ranking military official said.
US Pacific Command chief Admiral Samuel Locklear said that American forces are working to have a "huge impact" in the region's security.
"We're also gonna ensure that the forces that we have forwarded are the very best of what we could produce, that US can produce," Locklear said in a recent video by East Asia and Pacific Media Hub.
"We'll put our very best destroyers here, our very best ballistic missile offense here, our very best airplanes here, our very best people here," he elaborated.
He said this amid China's increasing assertiveness in claiming 80 percent of South China Sea, opposing exclusive economic zones of its neighbors including the Philippines.
Alongside such maritime tension, the US' Asian allies including the Philippines, will also have a boost in their military strength in the coming years, Locklear said.
"You'll see more US capability. But you'll also see more capability in the security of our allies as well. So this is isn't just about the United States. It's about how we collectively ensure security in this part of the world, how we build an environment for continued prosperity for our children," he added.
Moreover, the US will assist Southeast Asian nations in terms of their security capabilities and will be more present diplomatically, economically and socially.
"We will try to provide support to them as they grow in all aspects of what an ASEAN does but security as well. We were looking at assisting in exercises, that type of thing," he said.
"We're on the good path. You'll see us out and about more," the official added.
General Herbert "Hawk" Carlisle, commander of the US Pacific Air Forces, meanwhile said that the US and the Philippines are discussing a strategy to anticipate future moves by military powers in the region such as China, North Korea and Russia.
"We have many, many of those strategy discussions within the joint force under Admiral Locklear and his family of plans that he has developed," Carlisle said.
He admitted, however, that the ongoing dialogue considers the Philippines' bilateral relationship with China in other aspects besides the territorial row.
"They have a trade with China. They have an economic relationship with China and cultural [ties] ... It requires a lot of discussion on what we can do in peace time to better relationships," he said.
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