Military pillars

The US military is looking East, with developments forged with numerous countries. It is a rebalance of America’s strategic focus, writes US secretary of defence Leon E Panetta.

A soldier from the 1st Platoon, Delta Coy, 1-64 AR of the US army shares grapes with boys from the local Pashtu tribe after a night patrol came under small-arms attack a few nights before, at a settlement near Kandahar Air Field in Afghanistan. The US is pursuing a political, cultural, diplomatic, and security policy in Asia. Picture: AFP

The global centre of gravity is shifting to the Asia-Pacific, tying America’s future prosperity and security ever more closely to the region