ABM - General Herbert Carlisle, chief of US Air Force operations in the Pacific, outlined a far-reaching build-up of American war planes and personnel throughout Asia. The four-star general told reporters in Washington on July 29 that the US Air Force would dispatch “fighters, tankers, and at some point in the future, maybe bombers on a rotational basis” to bases in northern Australia. He indicated that the “rotations” would begin next year to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin before moving to RAAF Base Tindal, several hundred kilometres south. This is just the start of the Air Force’s plan to expand its presence in Asia. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s announcement in December that 60 percent of the US Air Force overseas-based war planes and personnel would be stationed in the Indo-Pacific region by 2020. His predecessor, Leon Panetta, had already announced the “rebalancing” of 60 percent of US naval assets to the region over the same period. Speaking in Singapore , US Vice President Joe Biden reiterated Washington’s determination to remain the dominant power in South East Asia. “I state without apology that we are a Pacific power. America is a Pacific resident power and we will remain so,” globalresearch.ca/u-s-general-reveals-plans-for-air-force-expansion-in-asia/5344726
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 20:01:04 +0000
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