The Obama administration perceives the contemporary ‘rise’ of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as among its most immediate and signifi cant policy challenges. This is unsurprising given the speed of the country’s economic growth, the expansion of its military capabilities, and its increasingly infl uential political presence. A particular concern among groups of policymakers and academics is the extent to which China may challenge the regional status quo; Beijing’s military spending is growing rapidly and important debates are now centred upon a ‘rising’ China as a catalyst for instability or even confl ict in the region. This understanding famously led former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick to insist that China becomes a ‘responsible stakeholder’ in the international system (Zoellick 2005 ). Yet the reorganization of the Asia Pacifi c’s security environment is not being driven just by China. Complicit others in the region are of key signifi cance and, as still the world’s only true superpower, the United States retains the principal ability to manipulate the Asia Pacifi c, especially (though not exclusively) in the military-security realm.