U.S. Defense Secretary reafirrms 'ironclad' commitment to regional allies on final day in Japan
Published: 12 Dec. 2024, 11:52
![U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting with reporters aboard USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo on Monday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/12/43bcc11f-f982-4d0f-b5d4-4d7eb013f3eb.jpg)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a meeting with reporters aboard USS George Washington at Yokosuka Naval Base near Tokyo on Monday. [YONHAP]
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday wrapped up his dayslong trip to Japan in a swan song that reaffirmed America's "ironclad" commitment to regional allies and stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation amid North Korea's military threats, China's assertiveness and other shared challenges.
Austin concluded his 13th and last trip to the Indo-Pacific in his capacity as Pentagon chief as questions lingered over whether the Biden administration's endeavors to reinforce its network of alliances can endure when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office on Jan. 20.
During his stay in Japan, Austin met Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani to take stock of progress in joint efforts to enhance alliance-based cooperation, observe a combined military exercise, visit the USS George Washington nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and encourage service members.
His trip underscored America's steady policy emphasis on the Indo-Pacific, now a fulcrum of power and wealth, despite Russia's protracted war in Ukraine and deepening instability in the Middle East.
![U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/12/1aa809fc-5323-4e59-b863-a0b94a9332e0.jpg)
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday. [YONHAP]
"We vowed to advance our military-to-military cooperation with other like-minded partners. That includes the Republic of Korea, the Philippines and Australia," Austin said during a press meeting, referring to an outcome of his trip to Japan.
"Today, we are proud that we've taken exercises, such as Freedom Edge and Yama Sakura to new heights," he added, touching on the trilateral combined drills involving South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, and Yama Sakura involving the U.S., Japan and Australia.
Missing in his last Asia swing was a much-anticipated trip to South Korea, another core U.S. ally in the region. The Korea portion of the trip was cancelled in the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt earlier this month.
Brushing aside concerns that the martial law episode could affect security coordination between Seoul and Washington, Austin underscored the U.S.' deterrence commitment to South Korea.
"I will begin by saying that our relationship with the ROK is ironclad and I expect that it will continue to be," the secretary said aboard USS George Washington on Monday. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.
During the trip, Austin highlighted the role of a crucial military asset — service members on the ground — while reiterating America's unmatched strength of military hardware and touting a U.S. network of allies and partners as a "great strategic advantage."
"I am confident we have the right capabilities, the right platforms, the right munitions, the right processes, but most importantly we have right people," he said during a meeting with troops at Camp Asaka. "This is all about people."
His observation of a combined military exercise, called Yama Sakura 87, underlined the Biden administration's consistent focus on multilateral security cooperation in countering common threats.
Launched in 1982, the computerized command post exercise had focused on bilateral planning, coordination and interoperability between the U.S. and Japan. Australia joined as a third participating nation last year.
Over the last four years, the Biden administration has promoted multilateral cooperation through fit-for-purpose groupings, such as trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan and the AUKUS security partnership consisting of the U.S., Britain and Australia.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will continue to leverage such multilateral platforms for security. After his inauguration, Trump is expected to reorient U.S. foreign policy under his America First credo that observers said would see Washington curtail costly overseas engagement and put pressure on allies to take greater security responsibilities.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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