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northern Iraq. In 1994, France, the United Kingdom,
the United States and other nations participated in a de facto CJTF
involving the transport and delivery of humanitarian and medical relief
supplies to war-torn Rwanda. European NATO allies also participated with U.S.
forces in Haiti, as well as in the deployment to Kuwait in Operation VIGILANT WARRIOR.
In addition, our NATO allies are very active in support of a number of major
policy areas, such as those discussed briefly below.
- European Security and Defense Identity: Key
developments in strengthening the European pillar of the trans-Atlantic
relationship include NATO's decision to provide forces to the WEU for allied
operations, the creation of CJTFs to respond to out-of-area crises, and
expanded membership in the European Corps.
- Counterproliferation and Theater Missile Defense (TMD):
Our allies are demonstrating increased support for TMD development efforts,
ranging from sharing early warning information and R&D to improving current
missile defense capabilities and eventually deploying advanced capabilities.
- Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR): NATO's ad hoc Group
on Nuclear Weapons (GNW) and an informal group dealing specifically with
Ukraine are focusing attention on the status and disposition of nuclear
weapons.
- Partnership for Peace (PfP): Activities include
joint military exercises, work with the Partnership Coordination Cell at SHAPE
Headquarters, and formal assessments of partner capabilities through the
Planning and Review Process (PARP). The North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) and the Group on Defense Matters (GDM) are other important forums for
NATO-
partner interactions.
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- NATO Enlargement: In September 1995, NATO completed its
initial review of the "how" and "why" of enlargement, and is using 1996 to
intensify consultations with interested partners to assess what each potential
member might contribute to the Alliance, and to convey NATO expectations of
potential members.
EAST ASIA-PACIFIC
The East Asia-Pacific region holds enormous economic and
strategic importance for the United States and our allies. In economic terms
alone, U.S. trade with this region has surpassed $400 billion annually, and
accounts for more than 3 million American jobs. In addition, East Asia
possesses a large concentration of military power, including some of the
largest armies in the world.
Our friends and allies in the region are essential to the success of the U.S.
security strategy of engagement. Their cooperation is necessary to deter
potential threats, counter regional aggression, ensure regional peace, monitor
attempts to proliferate weapons of mass destruction, and help protect sea lines
of communication both within the region and to the Indian Ocean and Southwest
Asia.
Security Framework
Our most important security relationships in East Asia are our bilateral
arrangements with Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The U.S.-Japan bilateral relationship is the linchpin of our security policy in the region. Given Japan's economic and political weight, it is a natural partner in our efforts to fashion a viable post-Cold War regional and international order. Our security arrangement with Japan relies on access to Japanese bases and Japanese support for U.S. operations.
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