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| U.S.-India exercise demonstrates regional cooperation |
| 2010-10-28 |
| The U.S. Army is preparing to host India's army in Alaska for a series of field engagements. The aim is to improve bilateral readiness while demonstrating U.S. commitment to South Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region, according to the U.S. Army Pacific commander. U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Benjamin R. Mixon called the exercise an example of growing theater security cooperation that is extending far beyond historical alliances. U.S. Army Pacific conducted 214 of these events in 29 countries last year alone. While reinforcing relationships with longtime partners in the region such as South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines and Australia, Mixon said the command is increasingly engaging with other nations. These include Indonesia and Malaysia as well as India. During Yudh Abhyas 2010, the 25th Infantry Divisions 4th Brigade Combat Team "Spartans" will join their Indian counterparts in airborne and weapons exchanges and a brigade-level command post exercise. Last year's excercise included the largest deployment of Stryker armored vehicles outside a combat zone. "The importance of the Asia-Pacific region is obvious to everybody," Mixon said. "So across the board, having a U.S. presence on the ground in the Asia-Pacific region enhances peace and stability in the area." Mixon is emphasizing the importance of cultural "astuteness" among his troops. He noted that many of his soldiers adapted easily from culture to culture during exercises last year in Thailand and the Philippines. "That is what we want our soldiers to be able to do," he said. U.S. Army Pacific is undergoing an internal reorganization designed to improve its ability to support operations in the Korean peninsula. That initiative, Pacific Integration, involves folding 8th U.S. Army in Korea into U.S. Army Pacific by next year. Eighth Army already has reorganized as the Armys only field army, poised on the Korean peninsula to fight alongside its South Korean counterparts, if required. Mixon said that establishing a single service component in the Pacific eliminates redundancies and would provide a more efficient and more capable force. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #1 I think a wise foreign policy would be for the US to groom India to take over a lot of our "world's policeman" duties. We've been at it for 65 years, and its time we stopped carrying the whole burden. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-10-28 14:34 |