Much has been said about the President’s “Pivot to Asia”.
The President himself has finished his recent tour to Asia, where on April 28,
2014 he addressed Filipino and US Armed Forces at Fort Bonifacio. Among other
things the President was there “to
reaffirm the enduring alliance between our two countries. I thank
President Aquino for his partnership and the deeper ties that we forged
yesterday.”
I’ve been a
dedicated Asiaphile since my first Chinese food experience in Brooklyn during
the 1950s. Over the years I’ve continued to study and visit Asia in military,
commercial and private capacities. I maintain that the bandwidth of people and
cultures is much greater in Asia than it is in Europe.
Asian philosophy,
with its long range perspective, often runs at odds with the Western penchant
for instant gratification. Consequently when a sitting US President visits an
Asian ally and meets with their military, notice must be taken.
An often
underplayed aspect of MISO is the interaction of one nation’s military with
another’s. Those of use who have had the honor and pleasure of working with
allied nations are well aware of the kinship that runs between military
personnel.
Working with other
militaries pays big dividends. First of all, you learn a lot about each other
as people. You also learn about the style and culture of the allied force.
Sometimes you learn that officers of the same rank in particular exhibit
extraordinary similar behaviors, without regard to the color of their uniform.
Back in the olden
days I commanded the 12th PSYOP BN. We were an Asia focused unit.
This meant our soldiers worked exercises in Korea, the Philippines, Japan and
Thailand. One of the long running Exercise is Balikatan which, coincidentally,
started today in Visayas (see: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/85936/balikatan-2014-begins-in-visayas).
Other exercises such as Yama Sakura in Hokaido, Japan tool place in less
hospitable weather – during winter.
It would make
logical sense to assume that these long running, historic exercises would
continue to be funded and support. But what about other mil to mil contacts?
What about engaging countries that we have historically not worked with very
much such as Malaysia or Indonesia? Would these contacts have to be large scale
and formal, or would simple short-term visits, mobile training teams and
exchanges work? Or should we save our money?
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