About 79,000 U.S. soldiers in the region are refocusing on working with other nations in Asia and the Pacific, as well as preparing for contingency operations, with the troops being taken off war duty rotations to Afghanistan, the head of U.S. Army Pacific said Monday.
Lt. Gen. Frank Wiercinski said with the 1st Corps in Washington state and 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks "focused solely back into the Asia-Pacific region, we now have, and the (U.S. Pacific Command) commander has, his Army forces available for engagement and exercise in multiple locations throughout the Asia-Pacific — things that we have not been able to do in the past 11 years."
Wiercinski said the Army is engaging in more exercises with Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines and has the "tremendous continued relationship" with South Korea and Japan.
Wiercinski, a three-star general, conducted his last news conference with the Pentagon press corps, as his retirement and a change of command will be held June 5 at Fort Shafter’s historic Palm Circle.
Gen. Vincent Brooks will take over U.S. Army Pacific as a four-star general — a change reflecting the importance of the region and the Army’s role in it as the U.S. seeks more participation from regional allies and friends.
"Although most of the geography of the region is dominated by vast expanses of water, people live and work on the land," Wiercinski said. "And, therefore, the Army will always have a key role to play ensuring lasting regional stability."
Sequestration budget cuts mean there are limitations, he said.
Equipment maintenance is "where we’ll feel the most heat," Wiercinski said.
"Our ability to train with that equipment, to fuel our vehicles, to fuel our aircraft, that is where we will feel some of the impacts of this in some of our units," he said.
Wiercinski said some capabilities will be "fenced off" from budget cuts because of their importance in the region, including all operations on the Korean Peninsula and all enabling forces that would respond to a crisis there.
Also being protected is the military diplomacy that comes as a result of engagement and training with other nations.
"It might not be at the highest level we can, but we’ve been able to save everything that we’ve promised (to other nations)," he said.
Wiercinski also touted the advantages of having "regionally aligned brigades" around the U.S. that will train to rotate through certain combatant commands, including U.S. Pacific Command.
The Army "has been able to fence the units of the Pacific from further deployments to Afghanistan," Wiercinski said. "Will that be able to hold? We hope so, but if not, and one unit has to be pulled out, regional aligned brigades allows us now to focus another brigade, perhaps in the mainland, back into (Asia and the Pacific)."
