U.S. Military Boosts Ties With Japan and Philippines

According to the Japanese Marine Corps General, the US and Japanese Armed Forces are rapidly integrating and scaling-up their combined operations as Washington prepares for a potential conflict with China.

They have a common enemy. “seen exponential increases . . . just over the last year” Lieutenant General James Bierman (commanding general of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, III MEF) and Marine Forces Japan told the Financial Times that they were focusing on operations on territory they would need to defend in the event of war in an interview.

Bierman said that the US and its allies in Asia were emulating the groundwork that had enabled western countries to support Ukraine’s resistance to Russia in preparing for scenarios such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

“Why have we achieved the level of success we’ve achieved in Ukraine? A big part of that has been because after Russian aggression in 2014 and 2015, we earnestly got after preparing for future conflict: training for the Ukrainians, pre-positioning of supplies, identification of sites from which we could operate support, sustain operations.

“We call that setting the theatre. And we are setting the theatre in Japan, in the Philippines, in other locations.”

Bierman’s unusually frank comparison between the Ukraine war and a potential conflict with China comes as Beijing has dramatically increased the scale and sophistication of its military manoeuvres near Taiwan in recent years. Japan and the Philippines are also Intensifying defense cooperation With the US in the face mounting Chinese assertiveness.

Japan and the US plan to discuss strengthening their alliance during security talks between the foreign-defense ministers on Wednesday, followed by a summit between Joe Biden (US president) and Fumio Shishida (Japan prime minister) on Friday in Washington. Tokyo has begun a new phase of its economic development. Radical security policy shift It will also include increased defense spending and the deployment of missiles capable hitting Chinese territory.

III MEF is the Marine Corps’ only crisis response force permanently stationed outside the US. It operates within the boundaries of Chinese Beijing wants to limit US operational freedom in the area by using medium- and long-range weapons.

The unit is at the heart of a sweeping reform of the Marine Corps that aims to replace its focus on fighting counter-insurgency in the Middle East with creating small units that specialise in operating quickly and clandestinely in the islands and straits of east Asia and the western Pacific to counter Beijing’s “anti-access area denial” strategy.

Bierman explained that it was crucial to have closer cooperation with allies in order to achieve this strategy. In a series of recent exercises, the Marines for the first time set up bilateral ground tactical co-ordination centres rather than exchanging liaisons with allies’ command points.

Specific units from Japan have been identified as part of the Enhanced Co-operation Initiative, a further sign of their deepening cooperation “stand-in force” Together with the III MEF and US Navy/Air Force units.

Instead of using a “round robin” Japanese military units could work with American counterparts as in the past. “standing community of interest” Bierman stated that the formation of allied units responsible for operational planning is underway.

He claimed that the US military was paying more attention to his comments while he spoke. China’s aggressive behavior towards Taiwan, the People’s Liberation Army should not be perceived as being “10 feet tall”.

“When you talk about the complexity, the size of some of the operations they would have to conduct, let’s say [in] an invasion of Taiwan, there will be indications and warnings, and there are specific aspects to that in terms of geography and time, which allow us to posture and be most prepared.”

As part of these preparations, the Philippines plans to let US forces preposition weapons and supplies on five more bases, in addition to the five already accessible by the US.

“You gain a leverage point, a base of operations, which allows you to have a tremendous head start in different operational plans. As we square off with the Chinese adversary, who is going to own the starting pistol and is going to have the ability potentially to initiate hostilities . . . we can identify decisive key terrain that must be held, secured, defended, leveraged.”

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