US shifts naval forces to Pacific

The US will shift 60% of its naval assets to the Pacific by 2020 and increase the number of military exercises it carries out in the region in the most tangible sign yet of the country’s strategic shift toward Asia, The Wall Street Journal reported. The US Navy Fleet of 285 ships is currently evenly split between the Atlantic and the Pacific. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stressed in the announcement that rising US force levels should not be seen as a threat to China, but as a stabilizing influence in a quickly developing region. US officials have repeatedly stressed that their navy benefits China’s economy by keeping key routes open for international trade. “Our efforts to renew and intensify our involvement in Asia are fully compatible … with the development and growth of China,” Panetta said.