The Pentagon has announced a new phase in its increased militarization of the Asia-Pacific region. On Saturday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the United States will shift the bulk of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020. Panetta says the fleet will include “Six aircraft carriers, a majority of [U.S.] cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships, and submarines … to project power and operate in the Asia-Pacific.” Speaking at a summit in Singapore, Panetta rejected speculation the move is an effort to intimidate China.

Leon Panetta: “Many in the region and across the world are closely watching the United States-China relationship. Some view the increased emphasis by the United States in the Asia-Pacific region as some kind of challenge to China. I reject that view entirely. Our effort to renew and intensify our involvement in Asia is fully compatible, fully compatible, with the development and growth of China.”