The U.S. Pacific Pivot

President Barack Obama spoke at Brisbane University, Australia, during the G20 meeting, reaffirming the United States role in the region.

U.S. President, Barack Obama, gave a speech to an audience of students in Brisbane when he was in Australia for the G20 Summit. While he touched on global warming and initiatives to cutting greenhouse gases, he spent a significant amount of time discussing the U.S.’ renewed role in the region. The United States Pacific Pivot, which is a strategic rebalancing of weapon systems and personnel to the U.S.’ West Coast and to Pacific allied nations, was formed to keep China’s expansionist policy in check. Australia has an important role in its implementation. Obama warned China that the U.S. military will always have a significant presence in the region and would also increase that presence with the most advanced equipment and weapons systems currently being deployed or developed.

US president Barack Obama speaks at the University of Queensland during the G20 summit.

President Obama also made a point to visit the U.S. Marines rotational force at Darwin Training Grounds. Australia has always proven to be a faithful and willing ally to the United States, “Aussies know how to fight and I like having them in a foxhole if we're in trouble,” Mr. Obama declared after meeting Prime Minister Abbott. Currently 2,500 U.S. Marines are stationed at Darwin and practice regularly with the Australian military, as they did in last year’s Talisman Saber.

Exercise TALISMAN SABER has it all; Special Forces, Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, and the U.S. Marines, Army, Air Force, and Navy. It is the largest Australian military exercise and one of the largest U.S. exercises. The exercise is a major undertaking that reflects the closeness of our alliance and the strength of the ongoing military-military relationship.

The strong speech by President Obama and pointed visit to the Marines sends a strong message to an increasingly aggressive China.