U.S. to Base Warships in Singapore

Once a great British naval base, Singapore will soon be home to "one or two" of the U.S. Navy's new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS).

Defence Secretary Robert Gates announced plans for the base during his visit to Singapore last week. ... According to the Singaporean Defence Ministry, those steps include deploying to Singapore ‘one or two’ of the new Littoral Combat Ships current under construction in the United States. The 400-foot-long, high-speed warships, optimized for shallow-water operations, would be the first US military vessels permanently stationed in the tiny Southeast Asian country, although the Navy for many years has maintained a support facility there.

The linked article speculates that this might be a response to Chinese naval expansion

Things Few People Know About

Did you know that the U.S. just completed its first-ever military exercise with Cambodia?

The recently completed US-Cambodia military drills, known as "Angkor Sentinel 10", involved 1,200 soldiers from 23 countries and were ostensibly part of Washington's Global Peace Operations Initiative, a program run jointly by the US Department of Defense and State Department to help train global peacekeepers against insurgency, terrorism, crime and ethnic conflict.

According to the article, although it had token multinational participation, it was primarily a U.S.-Cambodian affair. The U.S. has been providing funding and training for the Cambodian military since 2006. Along with military assistance, the U.S. is also providing economic aid.

Washington is currently one of Cambodia's largest donors with more than $72 million in assistance this year focused on health, education, economic development and government accountability. The US donated $65 million in 2009.

The whole article is interesting reading, and provides many more details, including the controversial nature of U.S. involvement with the Cambodian armed forces, which don't exactly have a sterling reputation. In the view of Clifford McCoy, the author, U.S. aid to Cambodia is part of a contest for influence with China. The quest to buy friends continues. 

Foreign Praise for U.S. Global Power

Here's something you don't see everyday, a foreign newspaper editorializing in favor of U.S. "global dominance." It comes from The Australian, in the person of Foreign Editor, Greg Sheridan, who draws a number of conclusions from the recent U.S. Quarterly Defense Review.  Sheridan rejects the popular notion of major U.S. decline, and argues that U.S. dominance will continue for the foreseeable future. And he thinks that's a good thing. I agree, but it's unusual to hear that perspective from a non-American, even from closely allied countries.  Here are some key excerpts:

The defence budget and the QDR are critically important because they indicate that Barack Obama is determined to keep the US as the world's No 1 military power, and one that can carry out all the global responsibilities that Americans normally sign up for.

Normally we hear complaints about U.S. "arrogance," and even "imperialism." Sheridan points out that U.S. power is the basis of Asian security for countries such as Australia.

The network of US treaties -- the San Francisco system -- has been the bedrock of Asian security since World War II, and it has allowed for Asia's economic miracle. ... Only the US can provide the framework of security that has kept the Asia Pacific stable, and incidentally provided for Australia's security, over the past several decades. No other power can do it physically, politically or morally, especially not China.

He concludes,

Obama's defence budget and QDR demonstrate that the US has not lost the taste for global military leadership. For which we should all give thanks.

The whole thing is worth reading, as a welcome breath of fresh air in an atmosphere often polluted by anti-Americanism.