US Bipartisan Effort to Counter China... Pacific Deterrence Initiative Included in Defense Authorization Act

Biden Administration Launches with Expanded China Containment, Bipartisan Support Expected
Trump's Opposition to Defense Authorization Act Poses Variable

U.S. Department of Defense
Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Congress has established a new item called the 'Pacific Deterrence Initiative' in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, allocating $2.2 billion (approximately 2.4 trillion KRW).

The U.S. Congress is pushing for bipartisan strengthening of pressure on China, including reviewing the deployment of U.S. troops to countries using Huawei's 5G equipment in this National Defense Authorization Act. This signals that pressure on China will continue with congressional support even after the inauguration of the Joe Biden administration.

According to U.S. media such as The Washington Post (WP) on the 6th (local time), the Pacific Deterrence Initiative was included in the FY2021 defense budget bill prepared by the U.S. House and Senate. The budget reflected for this is $2.2 billion.

If the National Defense Authorization Act including the Pacific Deterrence Initiative passes, the U.S. Secretary of Defense must establish a plan to enhance the posture and defense capabilities of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region and solidify alliances. Modernization and strengthening of U.S. troop deployments are mentioned. The Secretary of Defense must submit a related report to Congress by February 15, 2021.

Checks on China through the Pacific Deterrence Initiative are expected to become the responsibility of the Joe Biden administration, which will take office on January 20 next year.

Boni Glaser, director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a U.S. think tank, pointed out, "Congress is sending a clear signal to the Biden administration to move forward (in responding to China)." WP quoted congressional officials saying, "How the initiative will unfold depends on what the Biden administration decides to do."

The Pacific Deterrence Initiative is modeled after the European Deterrence Initiative aimed at countering Russia. In 2014, the U.S. established the European Deterrence Initiative to strengthen U.S. troop deployments for NATO alliance defense against Russian aggression.

The budget for constructing two Virginia-class attack submarines included in this National Defense Authorization Act was also expanded by Congress. The U.S. Navy had requested funding for only one submarine to counter China.

The bill will be finalized through a Senate vote following the House vote earlier this week. Since the House and Senate have already agreed, passage is considered certain, but the variable is President Trump.

President Trump has stated he will veto the bill unless the budget for renaming military bases named after Confederate generals, which he opposes, is removed and the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is included.

The U.S. political parties are clashing as they try to reach an agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act that includes the two issues opposed by President Trump.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.