US Navy To Increase Presence In Asia

The Pacific fleet of the US Navy aims to step up the number of Submarines and Aircraft Carriers in Asian waters to patrol the region and ensure security. ''It is clear to us the prosperity of (the) economy in the region depends on security,'' official news agency Bernama quoted Admiral Gary Roughead, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, as telling local reporters during a visit to Malaysia.Admiral Gary RougheadHe gave no further details of the plans, but added that the United States had no intention of interfering with other countries in the Pacific region. Roughead said countries in the region should strengthen their ability to face submarine attacks that could threaten international trade routes such as the Malacca Strait. The narrow, strategic waterway is an 805-km channel linking Asia with West Asia and Europe and carries some 50,000 vessels a year. It also carries some 40 per cent of the world's trade, including 80 per cent of Japan's and South Korea's oil and gas and 80 per cent of China's oil, according to a US.-Indonesia Society 2005 study on the impact of a terrorism attack in the strait.