The Pentagon has announced that James Mattis’ first overseas trip as Defense Secretary will be to Japan and South Korea, highlighting the Pacific region’s importance to U. S. security interests.
«The trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to our enduring alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea, and further strengthen U. S.-Japan-Republic of Korea security cooperation,» said Captain Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.
Mattis’ visit is intended to reassure U. S. allies in the region that it will maintain its security commitments especially at a time when North Korea has grown increasingly provocative in the development of its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons programs.
President Trump ‘s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement has unsettled some of America’s allies in the region.
Tensions have also been heightened in the South China Sea where China’s territorial claims and its construction on disputed islands have raised alarms in neighboring countries.
ABC News takes a look at some of the security issues in the region.
North Korean Provocations
Secretary Mattis’ first overseas stop will be in South Korea, where the United States has 28,500 troops to deter North Korean aggression.
Earlier this month North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced that his military would soon begin preparations to conduct a test of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that could potentially reach the mainland United States. U. S. officials have said that no test appears imminent, but the announcement culminated a year’s worth of provocative behavior by North Korea that included two nuclear test explosions and a slew of long range missile launches.
Some of the missile tests were spectacular failures, but the pace of the testing raised concerns that North Korea was determined to make fast advancements.
