ABSTRACT
US policies on institutions are based on the Cold War US alliance system that rests on the principle of military security guarantees in the event of aggression that threatens the survival of alliance members. This structural element in the US national security strategy assists Washington in implementing the other aspects of its ideational power in the Asia-Pacific. The United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) is geographically the largest unified command in the US defence structure. It stretches from the west coast of the Americas to the east coast of Africa, and from the Arctic to the Antarctic. USPACOM’s area of responsibility includes the Pacific, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, and encompasses 43 countries. The Commander in Chief, US Pacific Command (USCINCPAC), commands approximately 300,000 personnel from all US services, about one-fifth of the total US armed forces. Approximately 100,000 of USCINCPAC’s military personnel are forward deployed in the Asia-Pacific region (United States Department of Defense 1998).
