According to Asia Nikkei, The U.S. will beef up its conventional deterrence against China, establishing a network of precision-strike missiles along the so-called first island chain as part of $27.4 billion in spending to be considered for the Indo-Pacific theatre over the next six years.
They form the core proposals of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative that the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has submitted to Congress.
Specifically, it called for “the fielding of an Integrated Joint Force with precision-strike networks west of the International Date Line along the first island chain (which includes Taiwan, Okinawa and the Philippines), integrated air missile defense in the second island chain (running from southeastern Japan out to Guam and south to Indonesia), and a distributed force posture that provides the ability to preserve stability, and if needed, dispense and sustain combat operations for extended periods.”
The plan is structured to “focus resources on vital military capabilities to deter China,” according to the document. “The requirements outlined in this report are specifically designed to persuade potential adversaries that any preemptive military action will be too costly and likely to fail by projecting credible, combat power at the time of crisis,” it says.
Beijing’s “anti-access/area denial” strategy seeks to push American forces out of the East and South China seas within the first island chain. China also seeks to keep U.S. forces from approaching the “second island chain” in the Western Pacific.
