Reuters, North Carolina :
President-elect Donald Trump laid out a US military policy on Tuesday that would avoid interventions in foreign conflicts and instead focus heavily on defeating the Islamic State militancy.
In the latest stop on a “thank you” tour of states critical to his November 8 election win, Trump introduced his choice for defence secretary, General James Mattis, to a large crowd in this city near the Fort Bragg military base, which has deployed soldiers to 90 countries around the world.
“We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn’t be involved with,” Trump said. “Instead, our focus must be on defeating terrorism and destroying ISIS, and we will.”
Trump’s rhetoric was similar to what he said during the election campaign when he railed against the war in Iraq.
In Fayetteville, he vowed a strong rebuilding of the US military, which he suggested has been stretched too thin. Instead of investing in wars, he said, he would spend money to build up America’s ageing roads, bridges and airports.
Even so, Trump said he wants to boost spending on the military. To help pay for his buildup, Trump pledged to seek congressional approval for lifting caps on defence spending that were part of “sequestration” legislation that imposed cut spending across the board.
“We don’t want to have a depleted military because we’re all over the place fighting in areas that we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s not going to be depleted any longer,” he said.
Trump said any nation that shares these goals will be considered a US partner.
“We don’t forget. We want to strengthen old friendships and seek out new friendships,” he said. He said the policy of “intervention and chaos” must come to an end.
Meanwhile, Japan’s defense chief said Wednesday she believes her country’s alliance with the United States will endure in the Trump administration because it benefits both countries.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada was asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that Japan build its own nuclear deterrent force. She said Japan expects to remain under the US nuclear umbrella.
Inada said discussion about the future of the alliance should focus on shared security capabilities rather than financial burdens. She also said Japan will stick to its vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.
“This will remain unchanged,” she said, implicitly rejecting the notion of Japan developing its own nuclear force. She noted that Japan is the only country in the world to have experienced the horrors of nuclear war.
Inada spoke at a joint news conference Wednesday with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
The Pentagon chief noted that the meeting was taking place on the anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the US entry into World War II.
President-elect Donald Trump laid out a US military policy on Tuesday that would avoid interventions in foreign conflicts and instead focus heavily on defeating the Islamic State militancy.
In the latest stop on a “thank you” tour of states critical to his November 8 election win, Trump introduced his choice for defence secretary, General James Mattis, to a large crowd in this city near the Fort Bragg military base, which has deployed soldiers to 90 countries around the world.
“We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn’t be involved with,” Trump said. “Instead, our focus must be on defeating terrorism and destroying ISIS, and we will.”
Trump’s rhetoric was similar to what he said during the election campaign when he railed against the war in Iraq.
In Fayetteville, he vowed a strong rebuilding of the US military, which he suggested has been stretched too thin. Instead of investing in wars, he said, he would spend money to build up America’s ageing roads, bridges and airports.
Even so, Trump said he wants to boost spending on the military. To help pay for his buildup, Trump pledged to seek congressional approval for lifting caps on defence spending that were part of “sequestration” legislation that imposed cut spending across the board.
“We don’t want to have a depleted military because we’re all over the place fighting in areas that we shouldn’t be fighting in. It’s not going to be depleted any longer,” he said.
Trump said any nation that shares these goals will be considered a US partner.
“We don’t forget. We want to strengthen old friendships and seek out new friendships,” he said. He said the policy of “intervention and chaos” must come to an end.
Meanwhile, Japan’s defense chief said Wednesday she believes her country’s alliance with the United States will endure in the Trump administration because it benefits both countries.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada was asked about President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that Japan build its own nuclear deterrent force. She said Japan expects to remain under the US nuclear umbrella.
Inada said discussion about the future of the alliance should focus on shared security capabilities rather than financial burdens. She also said Japan will stick to its vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.
“This will remain unchanged,” she said, implicitly rejecting the notion of Japan developing its own nuclear force. She noted that Japan is the only country in the world to have experienced the horrors of nuclear war.
Inada spoke at a joint news conference Wednesday with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
The Pentagon chief noted that the meeting was taking place on the anniversary of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the US entry into World War II.
