Impact of new defense strategy on region uncertain

A new national defense strategy outlined Thursday by the Obama administration - which puts a greater emphasis on mobile platforms such as Navy ships, smaller elite units such as SEALs, and more high-tech defense systems - appears to bode well for Hampton Roads.

But the strategy, a precursor to the defense budget proposal due out in early February, also raises some red flags.

The plan requires a stronger military presence - most likely the Navy and Air Force - in the Asia-Pacific region to protect shipping lanes and commerce as China expands its navy. Such an approach raises a question that defense officials are not yet willing to answer: Will any of the Atlantic-based fleet of five carriers - all homeported in Hampton Roads - be sent to the Pacific?

The defense strategy, introduced by President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon, comes as the wars in the Middle East are winding down and the Defense Department is poised to cut spending by $489 billion over 10 years.

"Yes, our military will be leaner," Obama said. "But the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats."

The new strategy would shrink the Army and the Marine Corps and reduce the U.S. military presence in Europe. Larger units of ground troops would be downsized in favor of smaller forces, but the military would develop contingency plans to activate reservists when needed. The Pentagon would keep intact a "healthy cadre" of experienced noncommissioned and midgrade officers who would be ready to lead newly mobilized reserve or National Guard troops, Panetta said.

The plan suggests that some military operations will have to be scrapped, but it does not offer specifics. More information is expected to emerge later this month and in early February.

Craig Quigley, executive director of the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, said he needs to hear more details but the report indicates that Navy towns might fare better than Army towns.

"As sure as we're sitting here, there's going to be something that will have an adverse effect on Hampton Roads," he said. "But we're not going to have the dramatic reductions that you will see around a community that hosts a large Army garrison."

Defense officials said the new strategy will guide budget choices that require deep cuts in some areas while spending considerably more money in other areas, such as cyber warfare and computer network defense.

U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, who heads the readiness panel of the House Armed Services Committee, said he supports a stronger military presence in the Asia-Pacific region but takes issue with defense budget cuts.

"Unfortunately, this review dangerously fails to identify risks assumed by drastic budget cuts," the Chesapeake Republican said in a prepared statement.

The strategic plan offers some hints of possible effects in southeastern Virginia, where much of the economy is tied to defense spending through military operations, defense contractors, and one of the nation's largest communities of military pensioners.

Without mentioning by name the Navy SEALs, some of whom are based in Virginia Beach, Pentagon officials said special operations units will rise in prominence because of the need for smaller counterterrorism forces that can work with counterparts in allied countries.

"We've invested an awful lot in our special operations forces over the last decade," said Adm. James Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We're going to retain those forces and leverage them into other missions."

Another element of the new strategy calls for a strong ballistic missile defense system. Several Norfolk-based ships have been upgraded to have that capability.

Among the "primary missions" of the military, according to the report, will be to quickly respond with humanitarian or disaster aid. The mission is not unlike what was done two years ago when the Navy's Norfolk-based Fleet Forces Command mobilized ships to send supplies, medical care and rescue teams to Haiti after a devastating earthquake.

And the report stresses the need for the military to protect access to the "global commons" - the sea and air routes that are crucial to world commerce. That protection is already a key part of the Navy's maritime strategy.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said the new strategy also recognizes the need to maintain a robust defense industry.

"As we make program changes, we want to make sure that 10 years, 15 years from now, we still have an industrial base that supports our key weapon systems even if we're not able to buy in those areas at the rates or in the volume that we had planned," Carter said.

Defense officials said this week that even with budget cuts, they want to continue to maintain 11 aircraft carriers in the Navy fleet, according to The New York Times.

The Pentagon's desire to keep a strong carrier force means steady work for Newport News Shipbuilding, its sole manufacturer, Quigley said.

Panetta reiterated Thursday his concern that the rising cost of health and other benefits for military families and retirees has to be addressed.

The secretary vowed to "protect the quality" of benefits but did not answer specific questions about whether service members or retirees will pay more.

"We're going to protect the benefits that are provided to our troops and to their families. At the same time, as I've said, we have some responsibility to try to control costs in this area. I think the troops understand that we've got to control those costs," Panetta said.

"But when it comes to their basic benefits, when it comes to the retirement benefits of those who have served, when it comes to the benefits that we provide their families, we are going to continue to provide that and not break faith."

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com