Effects of Pentagon Budget Cuts Not Clearly Conveyed to Japanese Allies
Budget cuts are unlikely to affect the U.S.
military’s ability to carry out its strategy in the Asia-Pacific, but
the United States has not done a particularly good job of communicating
that fact to the Japanese government, said a new report released Jan. 13
by a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.
The United States and
Japan need closer collaboration on defense matters, particularly on how
both countries’ fiscal situations could impact their military alliance,
said the Stimson Center report, titled, “Opportunity Out of Necessity:
The Impact of U.S. Defense Budget Cuts on the U.S.-Japan Alliance.”
“There
is a considerable level of frustration among Japanese defense officials
about the lack of communication from the U.S. on its long-term
strategy,” said Yuki Tatsumi, author of the report and senior associate
of the Stimson Center’s East Asia program. “A great deal of confusion
exists in Japan regarding how some key U.S. operational concepts … apply
in the Asia-Pacific region.”
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