Hot Spots

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Hot Spots

06/10/2010

Gates on Asia

Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the International Institute for Security Studies, Singapore, June 5, 1010.

This is the fourth consecutive year I have had the opportunity to address this forum as the United States secretary of defense. Each time I have spoken here, I have emphasized that the United States is a Pacific nation and is, and will remain, a power in the Pacific. I do so for a reason: with sovereign territory and longstanding economic and cultural ties to this region, America’s security interests and economic well-being are integrally tied to Asia’s. As President Obama has noted, “Asia and the United States are not separated by [the Pacific] ocean; we are bound by it.”

[Gates’ overview of how the United States sees its responsibilities in the Asia-Pacific region.]

As a starting point, it is important to remember that the success this region has enjoyed over the past several decades – its unprecedented economic growth and political development – was not a foregone conclusion. Rather, it was enabled by clear choices about the enduring principles that we all believe are essential to peace, prosperity, and stability. These include our commitment to:

--Free and open commerce;
--A just international order that emphasizes the rights and responsibilities of nations and fidelity to the rule of law;
--Open access by all to the global commons of sea, air, space, and now, cyberspace; and
--The principle of resolving conflict without the use of force.

Simply put, pursuing our common interests has increased our common security. Today, the Asia-Pacific region is contending with new and evolving challenges – from rising powers and falling states, to the proliferation of nuclear and ballistic missiles, extremist violence, and new technologies that have the ability to disrupt the foundations of trade and commerce on which Asia’s economic stability depends.

Confronting these threats is not the task of any one nation acting alone. Rather, our collective response will test our commitment to the principles I just mentioned – principles that are key to the region’s continued prosperity. In this, all of us have responsibilities that we must fulfill, since all will bear the costs of instability as well as the rewards of international cooperation….

Broadly speaking it is important to note that we should not measure U.S. presence, and the associated impact and influence, solely in terms of conventional military bases. Rather, we must think more about U.S. “presence” in the broader sense of what we achieve in the region: the connections made, the results accomplished. This includes everything from medical teams, to civil engineering personnel, to partner militaries that are more professional and capable of contributing to international efforts to deal with the most vexing security challenges we face….

As we have learned, military capabilities are critically important but, by themselves, do not deter conflict; sustained diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties also play vital roles in maintaining stability and improving relationships. The history of the past sixty years in this part of the world has proven that historic tensions can be overcome, that instability can be avoided, and that strategic rivalries are not inevitable.

As has been the case throughout the years, the responsibility to prevent and deter conflict must be shared by everyone in the region.

Last fall, President Obama and President Hu made a commitment to advance sustained and reliable military-to-military relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The key words here are “sustained” and “reliable” – not a relationship repeatedly interrupted by and subject to the vagaries of political weather.

Regrettably, we have not been able to make progress on this relationship in recent months. Chinese officials have broken off interactions between our militaries, citing U.S. arms sales to Taiwan as the rationale. For a variety of reasons, this makes little sense.

--First, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are nothing new. They have been a reality for decades and spanned multiple American administrations.
--Second, the United States has for years demonstrated in a very public way that we do not support independence for Taiwan. Nothing – I repeat, nothing – has changed in that stance.
--Finally, because China’s accelerating military buildup is largely focused on Taiwan, U.S. arms sales are an important component of maintaining peace and stability in cross-strait relations and throughout the region.

Considering all this, President Obama’s decision in January to sell select defensive weapons to Taiwan should come as no surprise. It was based on well-established precedent and the longstanding belief of the U.S. government that a peaceful and non-coerced resolution to the Taiwan issue is an abiding national interest – and vital for the overall security of Asia.

The United States and China clearly disagree on this matter. Yet Taiwan arms sales over the decades have not impeded closer political and economic ties, nor closer ties in other security arenas of mutual interest. Only in the military-to-military arena has progress on critical mutual security issues been held hostage over something that is, quite frankly, old news. It should be clear to everyone now – more than 30 years after normalization – that interruptions in our military relationship with China will not change United States policy toward Taiwan.

That said, I can tell you all that the United States Department of Defense wants what both Presidents Obama and Hu want: sustained and reliable military-to-military contacts at all levels that reduce miscommunication, misunderstanding, and miscalculation. There is a real cost to any absence of military-to-military relations. I believe they are essential to regional security – and essential to developing a broad, resilient U.S.-China relationship that is positive in tone, cooperative in nature, and comprehensive in scope. The United States, for its part, is ready to work toward these goals….

On the other hand, we all face the reality of North Korea, which continues to undermine the peace and stability of Asia. As you know, on March 26th, North Korea, in an unprovoked attack, sank the Cheonan – a South Korean ship patrolling South Korean territorial waters – and in doing so killed 46 South Korean sailors. This sinking is far more than a single, isolated incident – with tragic results for the sailors and their families. It is, rather, part of a larger pattern of provocative and reckless behavior. As I pointed out last year at this forum, North Korea has for some time faced the choice of continuing as a destitute, international pariah, or charting a new path. Since then, the North Korean regime has only further isolated itself from the international community….

The nations of the region share the task of addressing these dangerous provocations. Inaction would amount to an abdication of our collective responsibility to protect the peace and reinforce stability in Asia. North Korea must cease its belligerent behavior and demonstrate clearly and decisively that it wants to pursue a different path.

Overall, everything I have discussed today is emblematic of a renewed and deepening commitment to this region and the partnerships we have worked hard to cultivate over decades. We are, and will remain, a Pacific power. There is no question that, in the future, even more than in the past, the safety, security, and economic well-being of the United States will be increasingly linked to that of Asia. The U.S. defense strategy in the region reflects continuing recognition of both old and new challenges to peace and security – from North Korea to extremist terrorism – while acknowledging the many changes that have taken place in recent years, especially the rise of Asia and its place in the global order.

All of this calls on us to step forward to counter new threats and harness new opportunities. The United States is prepared to do just that, and we ask that all the nations represented here join us as together we work to forge a peaceful and prosperous future.

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