thedrifter
12-08-07, 06:26 AM
Marines study Pacific Rim in advance of January deployment
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
LA JOLLA -- As "the first to fight," Marines routinely study weapons, logistics and all that goes into finding and destroying an enemy.
On Thursday, three dozen officers and senior enlisted men were schooled in the latest political and security issues in a region where many military strategists think the next major conflict may emerge -- Asia.
The lectures at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego also represented a continuing evolution in the type of education Marine "ground pounders" receive.
"The days of looking at an infantry force as a blunt instrument are over," Camp Pendleton's Lt. Col. Christian Wortman said. "(The infantry is) built on educated and informed Marines."
The information may prove invaluable for Wortman and his senior staff. Wortman is commander of the base's 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment, and will lead 2,500 of his troops on a six-month deployment in January.
The battalion is going through its final training and classwork as part of a ship-borne Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The unit has been home since May after spending nine months fighting the insurgency in Iraq's Anbar province.
In anticipation of visits to Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and possibly China, Wortman said the lectures provided a solid foundation of the latest Pacific Rim issues, information his commanders can now impart to their troops.
"We can only do that if we are educated," Wortman said.
Emerging threats?
Despite a recent agreement with the U.S. to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs, North Korea remains a potential flash point.
So is mainland China, where the communist leadership faces internal political challenges and a long-standing dispute with the democratic island of Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province.
China's military buildup in recent years, fueled by its booming economy, is also considered a potential threat, particularly if an internal political power struggle erupts.
For Japan, lingering hostilities over its brutal occupations of Korea and China during World War II remain, and the increasing size and power of China's military worries the island nation, the Marines were told.
"Japan is becoming very afraid of China," said Ellis Krauss, a professor of Japanese politics and policymaking.
Japanese citizens continue to debate the role of its security forces and whether it should join the U.S. if a fight against China or North Korea takes place, he said.
Anti-American sentiments on the island of Okinawa, site of key U.S. military bases, have simmered since the 1995 gang rape case of a 12-year-old girl by a sailor and two Marines.
"You guys just have to keep control over your men," Krauss said. "It's very important this type of incident doesn't happen again."
Krauss also warned of a growing trend that could one day lead to hostilities in the region.
"Young people in China, Japan and Korea are becoming increasingly nationalistic," he said.
The Marines also were told to be aware of other potential Pacific Rim hotspots, such as Indonesia and Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"How do we get the great powers in that region to get along?" asked Peter Gourevitch, a political science professor. "That's one of the great challenges."
Confrontation over Taiwan?
Susan Shirk, a deputy assistant secretary of state for China during the Clinton administration and author of the 2007 book, "China, Fragile Superpower," told the Marines that a continuing Taiwanese push for independence could force a confrontation.
"It will be hard for Chinese leaders not to respond," said Shirk, director of the university's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. "If they don't, the Communist Party could fall."
The longtime China scholar suggests in her book that China's leaders' grasp on power is tenuous. Couple that fragility with the Taiwanese tension and decades-old resentment of Japan, and the potential for trouble is constant, she writes in her book.
During her lecture, Shirk said a military confrontation would inevitably see the American forces join with longtime ally Taiwan in opposition to China.
"The U.S. cannot afford not to step in," she said. "Allowing China to conquer Taiwan would send a signal throughout the region that the U.S. is history as far as being a military power."
Shirk said China's recent refusal to allow the USS Kitty Hawk to make a port call in Hong Kong, where hundreds of family members had gathered to meet the men and women aboard the ship, was disturbing.
That refusal was followed last week by a protest from Chinese officials over the Kitty Hawk steaming through the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese foreign ministry expressed "grave concerns" and requested that the U.S. show greater discretion over use of those disputed waters in the future.
More ahead
The university launched the lecture series for Marines last year and will conduct another seminar in four months.
Lt. Lawton King, a public affairs officer who was among the many Marines peppering the lecturers with questions, said he found Thursday's session key in understanding current affairs in the Pacific Rim.
"We're trained to execute tactical missions, but it's always important to know the strategic interests of a region where we may find ourselves," he said.
Wortman, the battalion commander, said his goal was to make sure his leadership staff had the proper context for the issues the troops they lead may hear about and witness during their deployment.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie
By: MARK WALKER - Staff Writer
LA JOLLA -- As "the first to fight," Marines routinely study weapons, logistics and all that goes into finding and destroying an enemy.
On Thursday, three dozen officers and senior enlisted men were schooled in the latest political and security issues in a region where many military strategists think the next major conflict may emerge -- Asia.
The lectures at the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego also represented a continuing evolution in the type of education Marine "ground pounders" receive.
"The days of looking at an infantry force as a blunt instrument are over," Camp Pendleton's Lt. Col. Christian Wortman said. "(The infantry is) built on educated and informed Marines."
The information may prove invaluable for Wortman and his senior staff. Wortman is commander of the base's 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Regiment, and will lead 2,500 of his troops on a six-month deployment in January.
The battalion is going through its final training and classwork as part of a ship-borne Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The unit has been home since May after spending nine months fighting the insurgency in Iraq's Anbar province.
In anticipation of visits to Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and possibly China, Wortman said the lectures provided a solid foundation of the latest Pacific Rim issues, information his commanders can now impart to their troops.
"We can only do that if we are educated," Wortman said.
Emerging threats?
Despite a recent agreement with the U.S. to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs, North Korea remains a potential flash point.
So is mainland China, where the communist leadership faces internal political challenges and a long-standing dispute with the democratic island of Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province.
China's military buildup in recent years, fueled by its booming economy, is also considered a potential threat, particularly if an internal political power struggle erupts.
For Japan, lingering hostilities over its brutal occupations of Korea and China during World War II remain, and the increasing size and power of China's military worries the island nation, the Marines were told.
"Japan is becoming very afraid of China," said Ellis Krauss, a professor of Japanese politics and policymaking.
Japanese citizens continue to debate the role of its security forces and whether it should join the U.S. if a fight against China or North Korea takes place, he said.
Anti-American sentiments on the island of Okinawa, site of key U.S. military bases, have simmered since the 1995 gang rape case of a 12-year-old girl by a sailor and two Marines.
"You guys just have to keep control over your men," Krauss said. "It's very important this type of incident doesn't happen again."
Krauss also warned of a growing trend that could one day lead to hostilities in the region.
"Young people in China, Japan and Korea are becoming increasingly nationalistic," he said.
The Marines also were told to be aware of other potential Pacific Rim hotspots, such as Indonesia and Myanmar, also known as Burma.
"How do we get the great powers in that region to get along?" asked Peter Gourevitch, a political science professor. "That's one of the great challenges."
Confrontation over Taiwan?
Susan Shirk, a deputy assistant secretary of state for China during the Clinton administration and author of the 2007 book, "China, Fragile Superpower," told the Marines that a continuing Taiwanese push for independence could force a confrontation.
"It will be hard for Chinese leaders not to respond," said Shirk, director of the university's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. "If they don't, the Communist Party could fall."
The longtime China scholar suggests in her book that China's leaders' grasp on power is tenuous. Couple that fragility with the Taiwanese tension and decades-old resentment of Japan, and the potential for trouble is constant, she writes in her book.
During her lecture, Shirk said a military confrontation would inevitably see the American forces join with longtime ally Taiwan in opposition to China.
"The U.S. cannot afford not to step in," she said. "Allowing China to conquer Taiwan would send a signal throughout the region that the U.S. is history as far as being a military power."
Shirk said China's recent refusal to allow the USS Kitty Hawk to make a port call in Hong Kong, where hundreds of family members had gathered to meet the men and women aboard the ship, was disturbing.
That refusal was followed last week by a protest from Chinese officials over the Kitty Hawk steaming through the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese foreign ministry expressed "grave concerns" and requested that the U.S. show greater discretion over use of those disputed waters in the future.
More ahead
The university launched the lecture series for Marines last year and will conduct another seminar in four months.
Lt. Lawton King, a public affairs officer who was among the many Marines peppering the lecturers with questions, said he found Thursday's session key in understanding current affairs in the Pacific Rim.
"We're trained to execute tactical missions, but it's always important to know the strategic interests of a region where we may find ourselves," he said.
Wortman, the battalion commander, said his goal was to make sure his leadership staff had the proper context for the issues the troops they lead may hear about and witness during their deployment.
Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.
Ellie