By William Cole

wcole@staradvertiser.com

The U.S. humanitarian response to the disaster in the Philippines illustrates not only the Navy’s capabilities but also commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, the new commander of the Pacific Fleet said in an interview last week.

“Let me just begin by expressing condolences to our Philippine brothers and sisters … and their families and friends in Hawaii, who are obviously at a great loss,” said Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. “I think our response, the U.S. response, is indicative of a number of important things. First is that friends matter and when friends are in trouble, friends help.”

Almost immediately after Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines, the Navy sent the USS George Washington carrier battle group, which was in Hong Kong, to help in recovery efforts. Also underway are two amphibious ships based in Sasebo, Japan, Harris said.

The ability to come ashore in remote, unimproved areas “is really the capability that’s needed in this kind of thing,” Harris said. “You need lift, helicopter lift primarily, you need surveillance and reconnaissance, and you need tracked vehicles … we’ve got them underway.”

A former P-3 Orion navigator who was stationed at the old Barbers Point Naval Air Station in 1989, Harris took over the Pacific Fleet, the world’s largest naval command, on Oct. 16 at Pearl Harbor.

Born in Japan, Harris focused his graduate education on East Asia security, had multiple postings to Japan, and was military adviser to Secretary of State John Kerry, and earlier, Hillary Clinton.

Harris spoke to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in his first media interview in his new role. On Thursday, before leaving for South Korea and Japan, Harris answered questions about the U.S. “rebalance” to the Asia-Pacific region and the military rise of China.

Harris also said all three Zumwalt-class destroyers — massive, high-tech and futuristic-looking warships currently under construction — will be based in the Pacific.

The rebalance to the Pacific is no “shell game,” Harris said.

“We’re not talking about the Asiatic Fleet in the years before World War II, which languished in Asia with a large number of decrepit ships,” he said. “We’re talking about the best and the newest platforms that the United States Navy has — we’re sending to the Pacific.”

That includes new Virginia-class submarines based in Hawaii, shallow-water or “littoral” combat ships — the first one already on a long deployment to Singapore, and the deployment next month of P-8 Poseidon surveillance and sub-hunting aircraft to Kadena, Okinawa.

Harris said the United states welcomes China’s “responsible” expansion in the region, including a “blue water” navy, but takes no position on ongoing territorial disputes apart from honoring treaty obligations.

“We support the rise of a strong China — a strong and prosperous and responsible China,” he said. “I’m pleased that China has increased, to some degree, its transparency. There are some things that they remain (less than) transparent about that I’d like to know more about. And some of their actions are troubling. We need to understand those better. Our relationship with China, I believe, is on the upswing.”

U.S. allies can rest assured that the U.S. intends to maintain a forward presence in the region and will continue joint operations and training exercises.

“I think our actions have to speak louder than our words,” he said. “We have to show them (allies) that we are out and about. And in fact, we are out and about.”

The budget crunch known as sequestration has required the 7th Fleet, based in the Western Pacific, to cut back on some port calls, Harris said.

“If you look back through our history, the U.S. has faced austere economic cycles and political challenges many times since World War II, but our Navy has always maintained a robust and capable presence in the Pacific,” he said. Leaders in Washington, D.C., “have also been clear that sequestration and operating under a continuing resolution is a problem.”

He added, “But it is important to note that the Pacific Fleet is part of a joint team, and there is no doubt that overall engagements by Pacific Command components in the Indo-Asia-Pacific have increased.”