ABSTRACT
This chapter provides the pivot with regard to the two facets most generally attributed. It discusses the supposed economic aspects of the pivot, embodied in US efforts to secure the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal. The chapter deals with the rebalancing military facet, as manifested in the Air-Sea Battle (ASB) concept and its application to the Asia-Pacific. The dual economic and security elements of the pivot back to Asia have been reiterated elsewhere by other US officials. The counter-China feature of the US pivot has, if anything, become even more apparent recently. The strategic pivot is not merely a diplomatic and economic reengagement with Asia – it is a decidedly military effort by the USA to counterbalance Beijing's growing strength and influence in the region. Many have viewed the TPP as the economic component of the US pivot. The TPP is a massive free trade agreement that the USA is currently negotiating with 12 other Asia-Pacific nations.
