Pentagon planning stronger US posture toward China and Russia
- First Global Posture Review under the administration of President Joe Biden
- Comes in the wake of the formation of a new defence alliance, dubbed Aukus
The US military will reinforce deployments and bases directed at China and Russia, while maintaining forces in the Middle East adequate to deter Iran and jihadist groups, the Pentagon said on Monday, referencing results of a review.
The US Defence Department will be upgrading and expanding military facilities in Guam and Australia, underscoring its focus on China as the country’s leading defence rival, officials said.
The move comes in the wake of the formation of a new defence alliance, dubbed Aukus, between the United States, Britain and Australia to counter a rising China, which has been building up its own navy and testing decades of US military dominance across Asia.
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That pact was formed as Beijing solidifies its control over the disputed South China Sea and intensifies its military threats towards Taiwan, for which the United States is a key ally and arms supplier.