Asia Pacific Defense Forum Fall 2002

Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command, welcomes Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to a discussion of mutual security interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
PHOTO BY P01 CLINTON BEAR, USN

Welcome to the Fall 2002 issue of Asia-Pacific Defense FORUM. This issue provides a glimpse of a few ways we make use of — and benefit from — bilateral and multinational exercises and forums to expand our options and interoperability with the nations in our region toward achieving regional security.

On arriving in Hawaii as Commander, U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), in May 2002, I told the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the military leadership in the Pacific Command, and U.S. Congressional leaders, that I had five priorities for the Pacific Command. The first is sustaining and supporting the global war on terrorism. The Asia-Pacific region is the "second front" in the war on terrorism. We are in the process of developing and expanding our interagency approaches and the foreign relations needed for this war. The Pacific Command continues to have a significant role in counter-terrorist and anti-terrorist efforts in Southwest Asia and in Homeland Defense.

Another priority is improving the readiness and joint warfighting capability of our forces. This is our fundamental core responsibility and includes force levels, spares, operating dollars, and training infrastructure to maintain force readiness. It also includes innovating, transforming, and improving our capabilities by developing new operating concepts and new technologies to keep our forces ready for many alternative futures.

The third priority deals with improving the quality of service of our men and women. We need to continue to pursue the operating facilities, information technology, training, and spare parts necessary to ensure our service members achieve their goals and execute their missions. Meeting this priority is essential to retain the very best service members in an all-volunteer military.

Next, we are reinforcing what I call the "constants" in the Pacific Region. Our long-standing bilateral alliances and friendships and the presence of forward-deployed combat forces continue to be the basis of the region’s stability. We will continue to build on these relationships while nurturing the kind of efforts that support the entire region’s mutual interests.

Lastly, promoting "change" and transformation and improving our Asia-Pacific defense posture for the future is our final, but not least, priority. Promoting change helps us develop new force capabilities, improve strategic infrastructure, and mature our joint task force operations. We will expand the opportunities for joint and coalition operations to maintain our combat capability and improve our forward deterrence posture.

The five priorities derive from our concerns about potential regional conflicts, miscalculation between strategic rivals (such as India-Pakistan); transnational threats like terrorism; instability associated with a failing nation-state or humanitarian crisis; and the requirement to ensure the readiness of our forward deployed forces in the region.

As President Bush said, "The 21st century is the Asia-Pacific century." Our mission in USPACOM is to promote the security and peaceful development of the region by assuring allies and friends, dissuading military competition, deterring aggression, and being ready, if necessary, to fight and win.