IR/PS Referenced in the San Diego Source
Military's future looks good for San Diego
04/19/2012
John Patrick Ford,
San Diego Source
With announcements of $489 billion in military cutbacks for the federal budget, San Diego defense contractors are scrambling for opportunities. But the future of military security along the Pacific Rim is reassuring for the San Diego economy.
The media, focusing on military operations and spending on the West Coast, identify the shift of priority from Europe and the Middle East to the Pacific. A KPBS radio program reported that 70 percent of the U.S. foreign trade is now with Asia and Latin America along the Pacific Rim. The armed forces, especially the Navy, Marine Corps and the Air Force, will actually be enhanced to provide security for U.S. interests in that region.
This news has rankled Chinese officials who prefer the United States to stay out of its area of influence, meaning an invisible "first island chain" stretching from the Aleutian Islands to Borneo and sealing off the Yellow Sea, South China Sea and East China Sea. That effectively denies any foreign military access to South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan. That can't work with the past and future commitments in north Asia.
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Related Links
Special Dean's Roundtable Event: The USAF in Asia--Building Partnerships
Speaker: General Edward A. Rice Jr. is Commander, Air Education and Training Command, Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He is responsible for the recruiting, training and education of Air Force personnel.
