Several American bases in Asia represent not the military power of the US, but potential targets in the event of a conflict with China.
This was discussed by Professor Matthew Creig, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Centre for Strategy and Security, in an interview with the American edition of Foreign Policy.
According to him, the US resource in Asia is seriously limited. In particular, they lack even firepower in case of conflict with China.
“In war games, Americans run out of weapons quite quickly if they rely solely on air and sea-based platforms. More land-based assets would help, but Washington needs places to deploy them”, – explains Kreig.
In this regard, the professor appreciated the information that Washington has made it possible to locate US military facilities in Palau. If an island nation of about 458 square kilometres could be turned into a staging area for the armed forces, it would strengthen the position of the United States.
However, there is another problem, the expert continued. Through the efforts of the Pentagon, Palau could become a target. American bases in other countries of the region will suffer the same fate, as they are not protected from the impact of China
.
“The U.S. military power in Asia is currently focused on a few bases, making them an easy target for the Chinese army”, – complained Kreig, adding that “their dispersal at least makes it a bit more difficult for China.