Report

INTRODUCTION

A delegation of 19 parliamentarians from 16 countries travelled to Hawaii to visit senior-level military representatives at United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) from 19-21 March 2019. The Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association was represented by the Hon. Joseph A. Day, Senator.

USINDOPACOM is responsible for an area stretching from the Arctic to Antarctica from the West Coast of the United States to India, an area covering over 100 million square miles. In this arena, the United States military must focus on a range of persistent and varied threats, each with a unique level of complexity (China, Russia, North Korea, violent extremism and natural disasters).

The region falling under USINDOPACOM, briefers noted, represents approximately 60 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of global GDP, 7 of the world’s 10 largest militaries, 5 of 8 nuclear armed powers, and 3 of the 4 largest missile inventories in the world. As such, it is clear the USINCOPACOM area of responsibility is one of significant global importance at all levels. The purpose of the visit was primarily to identify and understand the issues facing this region of vital geostrategic importance as well as US interests and priorities.

China’s growing influence and its impact on regional stability loomed large in discussions during the meetings. The steady growth of the People’s Liberation Army’s forces and the so-called “New Silk Roads” project are direct threats to US influence in the Asia-Pacific region.

Briefers also noted that China’s political, economic, and military efforts were an effort to impose fait accompli scenarios across the region, which will change the balance of power against the United States. If successful, China would be able to line up power and capabilities significantly in its favour against the United States and its allies and partners in the region, which would inevitably lead to a shift in China’s favour while avoiding a risky and potentially very costly military conflict.

Russia, despite its certain economic decline in the Pacific, still poses a certain degree of military danger. Its significant number of forces in the region across air, land, and sea services make it an unavoidable player, although some briefers expressed doubt about a sustained presence in the region given that Russia has an extended military posture in the Euro-Atlantic arena and in Syria, among others.

Regarding North Korea, briefers noted the volatility and unpredictability of the communist regime. The main challenge for the United States will be to protect its key ally, South Korea, by thwarting North Korea’s efforts to acquire a long-range ICBM nuclear deterrent capacity.

** This is a summary of a report prepared by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Secretariat. See the original report.

Respectfully submitted,