America’s Deep Rationale for INDOPACOM

Abstract

AbstractIt might be jarring to the people of some Asian states—particularly the Chinese—to learn that the U.S. military claims “responsibility” over their country. However, it is uncontroversial to Americans to describe themselves as having a “global cop” role for which they are uniquely qualified. The question that arises is why the United States maintains a large military command devoted to the Asia–Pacific region and why this command keeps large numbers of personnel and military units “forward deployed.” Answering this question requires an understanding of what I term the deep rationale for INDOPACOM: the strategic logic that makes this huge investment on the other side of the world’s largest ocean appealing to Americans. In common with all regional great powers of the past, including premodern China and fascist Japan, the United States purports to uphold a particular regional order—a specific and historically unique set of principles, rules and institutions governing the conduct of international affairs—that supports not only the self-interests of the sponsoring great power but also the interests of the other states in the region. Washington has reiterated countless times the argument that the U.S. military presence preserves the “stability” necessary for regional states to prosper.