Pentagon to build up US bases in Guam and Australia to meet China challenge

The Biden administration has made countering China its foremost overseas coverage precedence as tensions have elevated with Beijing, significantly over the problem of Taiwan and senior Pentagon officers have publicly expressed alarm about China's efforts to improve and modernize its navy. Last month Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff mentioned China had efficiently examined a hypersonic missile in what was "very close" to a Sputnik second.

The world posture evaluation additionally directs the Department to focus more on the Indo-Pacific area by "reducing" the variety of troops and gear in different areas of the world, "to enable improved warfighting readiness and increased activities" in the Indo-Pacific, the official mentioned.On Russia, the Department declined to present particular details about how the worldwide posture evaluation is directing the US navy to put together to counter threats from Moscow. Broadly talking, one of many targets of the evaluation is to "re-establish readiness standards," in order that the US navy is "agile and responsive to crises as they emerge," the official mentioned.The US navy is working to "re-establish readiness" in Eastern Europe "with the goal of strengthening a combat credible deterrent vis a vis Russia and the specific requirements of that region," the official mentioned when pressed on the problem, however they'd not go into more element on how the US navy is making ready to counter Russia. In the Middle East, the evaluation directed the Department to "continue to support the defeat ISIS campaign," with the present US navy presence in Iraq and Syria, in addition to persevering with to work on constructing up "the capacity of partner forces," in these nations. But total, the evaluation directs Austin to "conduct additional analysis on enduring posture requirements in the Middle East," the official mentioned. Afghanistan was not formally included in the worldwide posture evaluation, as a result of there's a "separate" National Security Council-led "process" that's "reviewing the way ahead for US presence there," the official mentioned.The evaluation additionally didn't embrace "functional capabilities" like nuclear, house and cyber, as a result of these are being addressed in different Department particular critiques, the official mentioned.