1、POLICY BRIEF|FEBRUARY 2023GEOSTRATEGIC COMPETITION AND OVERSEAS BASING IN EAST ASIA AND THE FIRST ISLAND CHAINANDREW YEO AND MICHAEL E.OHANLON1FOREIGN POLICY AT BROOKINGSExecutive summaryUnder the U.S.Indo-Pacific strategy,the Department of Defense(DOD)now enfolds East Asia within the broader region
2、al framework of the Indo-Pacific.However,significant U.S.forward presence and the U.S.obligation to defend allied territory in Northeast Asia with ground forces means that the needs and dynamics of great power basing in that region will differ from the maritime theaters of the South Pacific and Indi
3、an Oceans.Although the DOD has been simultaneously criticized for being too ambitious or doing too little to address U.S.force posture,geostrategic competition with China dictates prudence in making any major changes to overseas basing in East Asia.Yet Chinese ambi-tions to strengthen its claims ove
4、r Taiwan and the South China Sea may require some adjustments to U.S.force posture to surmount evolving challenges within Chinas so-called first island chain.1 For long-term geostrategic competition with China,U.S.force posture in East Asia may be sized correctly but wrongly composed and dispersed.T
