The United States and Japan are expanding their joint military operations in the face of the tensions generated in recent months in the region, with the intention of integrating the command structure in the face of a possible conflict with China.
James Bierman, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps in Japan, explained that the allies in Asia are emulating a work to support them in the event of a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan, according to an interview with the Financial Times newspaper.
The general, who pointed out that the two armies «have seen exponential increases» in their operations in the territory, compared the tensions between Taiwan and China with the situation in Ukraine with Russia.
«Why have we achieved the level of success we have achieved in Ukraine? A big part of that was because after Russian aggression in 2014 and 2015, we seriously prepared for future conflicts: training for Ukrainians, pre-positioning of supplies, identifying sites from which we could operate, support, sustain operations,» he has recounted.
«We call that theater setting. And we’re setting the theater in Japan, in the Philippines, in other places,» Bierman added.
Both Tokyo and Manila are stepping up defense cooperation with Washington, citing growing tension with the Chinese military, which has stepped up military exercises near Taiwan.
In fact, Japanese officials — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and foreign and defense ministers — are meeting this week with senior U.S. officials to strengthen the bilateral alliance, coinciding with Japan’s policy shift that has proposed increased defense spending.
Kishida’s proposed new defense spending envelope for 2023 is up 26.4 percent from last year and represents the first step toward breaking the historic ceiling of 1 percent of GDP allocation to the military sector, with the intention of raising it to 2 percent by 2027, in line with NATO expectations, despite the country’s fiscal health being the worst among major industrialized economies, with public debt more than double GDP.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
