US military presence in East Asia will increase in 2018

美國在東亞的軍事將在2018年增加

Nuclear sub port calls to Kyushu have increased, as Pentagon prepares to deploy Marine Expeditionary Units to the region


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Despite media reports that the U.S. is retreating from the political arena in Asia, U.S. military activity evidences no such trend in the region.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was preparing to deploy a number of Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) to the region. An MEU is a group of approximately 2,200 marines that operate from their own amphibious assault ships and possess their own aircraft, tanks, and artillery.

According to CNBC, the plans for redistribution of troops comes as America's top military officer is touring the region assuring allies of U.S. support in the region.

Reportedly the MEUs would be intended for training and patrols, but would be prepared to act in the event of a conflict in the region.

Further, naval activity in the East China Sea appears to be on the increase as well. According to the Japan Times, U.S. Navy submarines made a record number of port calls at the Kyushu port city of Sasebo in 2017, totaling 26 port calls in total.

The previous highest year on record for U.S. submarine port calls to Sasebo was 24 in the year 2016, according the Sasebo Municipal government, suggesting an increase in strategic operations around the East China Sea.


USS North Carolina makes a port call to Sasebo in March, 2012 (Wikimedia Commons Image)

The most obvious explanation for the increase in U.S. military presence is the heightening tension between North Korea and the United States, however a Japanese SDF spokesperson suggests the submarines are likely monitoring Chinese naval activity as well, reports Japan Times.

The report also notes that while U.S. sub port calls in to Sasebo in Kyushu have increased, port calls to bases in Kanagawa, and Okinawa decreased slightly from 2016 numbers; from 21 to 17 in Okinawa, and 17 to 16 for calls to Kanagawa.

Currently, there are about 50,000 troops stationed in Japan, near 30,000 in South Korea, another 7,000 in Guam, as well as a 1,250 man force in Darwin, Australia.

Despite what many commentators have suggested over the past year, the United States’ does not at all appear to be disengaging from the Indo-Pacific region.