US planning to boost troop levels in SE Asia

The plan involves relocating, or even closing, bases in Japan and South Korea, while boosting troop levels in Australia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Also under consideration is a plan to seek an agreement to base US Navy ships in Vietnamese waters, reported the Los Angeles Times, citing senior administration officials.

Tap Here to Add The Daily Star As A Trusted Source

Under the proposed realignment of forces, US troops now massed in Korea and Japan would be shifted to a network of smaller facilities in the region, in countries such as Australia, Singapore and Malaysia.

Several reasons are given for the changes, premised on a need to have troop deployment better reflect the reality of a post-Cold War and post-Sept 11 world.

For instance, there is less reason now to have massive bases in South Korea and Japan - where more than 70 per cent of the 100,000 US troops in East Asia are to be found - with the passing of the 'Red China' Cold War threat.

Another key factor is the fear of terrorist attacks on US interests, which could be launched anywhere.

So the current thinking is to relocate US forces away from major concentrations to smaller, more mobile units that can be deployed rapidly to counter terrorist threats globally.

But putting the plan into practice will be difficult, not least having to surmount the political hurdles in places like the Philippines, where the closure of the former Subic Bay and Clark bases were a result, in part, of strong anti-American feeling.