US military's logistics drill aims to burnish East Asia crisis response
Alarmed by growing Chinese assertiveness, whether in the disputed South China Sea or around Chinese-claimed Taiwan, Washington and its friends in the region have been drilling together regularly.
The US Transportation Command (Transcom) is responsible not only for co-ordinating the pre-positioning of weapons and other equipment around the world by land, air and sea but also for resupply in the event of conflict.
On a visit to East Asia, Transcom Commander Randall Reed told reporters it was essential to maintain and expand ties in the region to ensure a swift US response to disasters and counter threats to peace and security.
'We're going to have a series of exercises and will test the logistics architecture and infrastructure which provides sustained freedom of manoeuvre,' he said on a teleconference, without giving details of location or timing.
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