ABSTRACT
Uncertainties in the Philippines and New Zealand marred what was otherwise a highly encouraging outlook for US political and security interests. Among the factors influencing the security equation in East Asia, the most prominent remains the steady growth of Soviet military power. The enhancement of Soviet capabilities in the region was initially prompted by the escalating border tensions with China during the late 1960s and was most immediately evident in the increase in Soviet ground and air forces at that time. East Asia has long ranked among the most important of regional security interests for the United States. American political and security commitments, although not formalized in a comprehensive security arrangement akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance, are nevertheless extensive and integral to regional stability and security. More than a third of the Soviet land-based and submarine-launched forces targeted against the United States are deployed in Asia, as well.
