The second most senior official of the world's top military power recently finished a week-long flying tour of East Asia that included talks with senior defense officials from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter wanted to convey a message to allies, security partners — and potential adversaries — in the region that despite big budget cuts and political infighting in Washington, the United States will remain a resident Pacific power committed to helping maintain the peace that supports economic growth.
The most immediate challenge to regional stability comes from North Korea, which conducted a third nuclear test on Feb. 12 in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions. Pyongyang said that the underground test was designed to perfect small nuclear warheads for ballistic missiles to strike the U.S. mainland or American bases in Japan and other parts of Asia.