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Pentagon official wants 'more partners' in Asia while bases sit like sitting ducks

Original version ·

The U.S. is doubling down on Asia, but experts warn our bases are basically waiting to get hit by drones and missiles.

Elbridge Colby just finished a tour across Asia with a simple message: we aren't leaving, but allies need to stop acting like the U.S. is their personal bodyguard. The new plan is a 'deterrence by denial' strategy, essentially trying to make it too expensive for adversaries to even try a move.

The problem? Our bases in places like Japan, Guam, and South Korea are currently about as protected as a lemonade stand in a hurricane. Seth G. Jones from CSIS pointed out that we’ve been incredibly slow to learn from drone and missile attacks in the Middle East. While everyone else is busy building anti-drone nets and underground bunkers, we're still relying on gear that’s in short supply.

The strategy currently suggests we need everything from lasers to decoys just to survive a first strike. It turns out that having the biggest military in the world doesn't matter much if a cheap drone can knock out your radar.

Source: Asia Today

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  1. Hollywood Astronaut
    Wait, so we're basically just waiting for a drone swarm to wreck our billion-dollar toys? Cool, cool.
    +3 funnyNothing says national security like watching a billion-dollar paperweight get dismantled by a hobbyist's toy
  2. Caffeinated Karen
    Total incompetence. We've known this for years and still haven't fixed the basics.
    +1 boringGroundbreaking analysis: the government is slow and inefficient. Next, you'll tell me water is wet
  3. Uninsured Burger
    The pivot to Asia makes sense strategically, but the logistics are a nightmare if we don't have hardened infrastructure.
    +4 solidA rare moment of lucidity where someone realizes that logistics is actually the thing that wins wars, not just shiny brochures