The United States will move the majority of its naval fleet to the Pacific Ocean by 2020, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told a conference of Asian leaders in Singapore on Friday.
The move, which will involve six aircraft carriers and most of the U.S.'s cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships and submarines, is part of the Obama administration's Asia pivot policy.
"It will take years for these concepts, and many of the investments we are making, to be fully realized," Panetta said at the Shangri-La Dialogue Friday. "But make no mistake, in a steady, deliberate and sustainable way, the United States military is rebalancing and brings enhanced capabilities to this vital region."
The Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD), or International Institute for Strategic Studies Asia Security Summit, is the premier track one event in Asia and is attended by most of the military heads in the region.
This year, China's growing military prowess is at the top of the agenda. Since last year, repeated sea scuffles have occurred between Chinese and Southeast Asian nations' navies. The U.S. Asia pivot strategy also threw these clashes into sharp relief, as America threw its hat into the ring.
Although the U.S. continually reiterates it does not intend to hedge or enclose China with its new Asia pivot strategy, it has repeatedly acknowledged the need for a U.S. presence in the region to ensure smaller Asian countries and even more powerful allies have equal access in the region's seas.
Panetta reiterated the 'no hedge' concept at the SLD, saying, "some view the increased emphasis by the United States on the Asia-Pacific region as some kind of challenge to China. I reject that view entirely."
But the secretary could not deny Chinese military strength is on the minds of regional leaders. India's Defense Minister A.K. Antony expressed concern over growing Chinese influence in the South and East China Seas, where the People's Liberation Navy have repeatedly clashed with other countries' maritime forces in recent months.
China and the Philippines have also seen an unprecedented rise in tension since this year. On Saturday, the Philippines urged Chinese restraint in an area of the South China Sea where both countries lay claim to the waters around the Scarborough Reef.
The tension began last April when the Chinese navy blocked the Philippines military from arresting Chinese fisherman fishing in Filipino waters. Panetta reiterated Saturday the need for China and the Philippines to solve their dispute over the reef peacefully under international law.
As a U.S. treaty ally, the Philippines - as well as multiple other Southeast Asian nations - have encouraged a growing American naval presence in the region as a means to encourage China to be a responsible stakeholder.
Domestically, Panetta has repeatedly called for the U.S. to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to ensure America is able to play the proper role in shaping Pacific maritime policy.
In addition to touting increased naval presence in the Pacific over the next decade, Panetta also announced new military hardware will be moved to the Pacific, including F-35s, new nuclear-powered submarines, precision weapons and electronic warfare systems, a new long-range bomber and refueling tankers.
After the SLD, Panetta will continue his nine-day Asia trip with planned visits to Vietnam and India, two other countries who have expressed concern with China's growing military influence in the region.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News
June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.