Report on U.S. Military Power 2012 (28)

Chapter Five Alliances and Partnerships

It is an unchanging theme in U.S. military strategy to seek to establish and consolidate alliance and partnerships which supports the U.S. role as a global leader and the prime shaper and mover of the world. In 2012, the U.S. adopted various measures to consolidate and strengthen its alliances and partnerships.

I. Expanding Alliances from Bilateral to Multilateral Ones in the Asia-Pacific Region, with U.S.-JapanAlliance as the CentralAxis

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton pointed out in "America's Pacific Century" that "[by] virtue of our unique geography, the United States is both an Atlantic and a Pacific power. We are proud of our European partnerships and all that they deliver. Our challenge now is to build a web of partnerships and institutions across the Pacific that is as durable and as consistent with American interests and values as the web we have built across theAtlantic." (Foreign Policy, Nov. 2011)

To build this web of partnerships and institutions across the Pacific, the U.S. has taken the following measures:

First, strengthen strategic dialogues and improve security consultation mechanisms. By January, 2012, the U.S. had conducted two rounds of bilateral strategic dialogues with the Philippines, promising to build more stable military alliance. In April, the two countries held the first “2 plus 2” consultation. So far the U.S. has established regular “2 plus 2” consultation and coordination mechanisms with all its Asia-Pacific allies. In June, the U.S. and Thailand held strategic dialogues, seeking to establish a new type of alliance; the U.S. and New Zealand jointly released “Washington Declaration” for further bilateral cooperation.

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