U.S. says security improved in Pacific
By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer
Testifying on security in Asia and the Pacific, Adm. Dennis Blair, the top military commander in the Pacific, said yesterday the United States is succeeding since Sept. 11 in its efforts to counter terrorism in the region — largely with the cooperation of many nations.
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"Overall we are in better shape than we were a year ago," said Blair, commander in chief of Pacific forces. "We have gone on the offensive against terror organizations that we did not know the name of a year ago. Although there are persistent deficiencies, particularly in facilities upkeep and replenishment of precision weapons, our readiness is on its way to a satisfactory level."
Adm. Dennis Blair said the United States military readiness is approaching satisfactory.
Blair, whose headquarters is at Camp Smith, commands 300,000 military personnel in a region covering 43 countries over half the globe.
The Pacific commander in chief, known as CinCPac, made his comments during annual testimony before two subcommittees of the House International Relations Committee.
Fighting terrorism accelerated security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, "but has not fundamentally altered the region's security challenges," Blair said.
He reiterated the region has no Afghanistans — sanctuaries for terrorists with governments fully supporting them.
"Governments throughout the region fundamentally support the campaign against international terrorism," Blair said, and have varying capabilities to contribute, as well as domestic political considerations in countries such as Indonesia and Bangladesh.
On the defensive front, Pacific Command activated Joint Rear Area Coordinators after Sept. 11 to integrate measures by all military units, in Hawai'i, Alaska, Guam, Japan and Korea, Blair said.
Pacific Command also accelerated fielding of the Pacific Mobile Emergency Radio System in Hawai'i and Alaska to improve coordination between civilian and military counterparts, and began a reassessment of vulnerabilities at foreign ports visited by U.S. forces.
On the offensive side, Pacific Command has established a Directorate for Counter-Terrorism to coordinate intelligence operations, and deployed personnel to U.S. embassies in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and India to improve operations there, Blair said.
He also noted $19 million in Foreign Military Financing money for U.S. military equipment, services and training provided to the Philippines, $2 million to Mongolia, and $1 million to East Timor.
Blair said replacing or renovating substandard military family housing remains a priority.
Also, Operation Enduring Freedom has "significantly reduced" the stock of precision munitions across all services, and sustained investment to restore inventories "must remain a priority."
