Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)World ...
Disarmament and International Security Committee (DISEC)World ...
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types of interactions between the asset <strong>and</strong> the<br />
affected population. The more direct interaction there<br />
is between the asset <strong>and</strong> the affected population,<br />
the more politically sensitive the aid is. The nations<br />
that deploy the military assets <strong>and</strong> the countries that<br />
receive the aid have to arrive at an underst<strong>and</strong>ing<br />
about the level of contact in order for the asset to be<br />
fully utilized.<br />
the predominance of aircraft in military assets<br />
provided is expected given that getting personnel<br />
<strong>and</strong> humanitarian relief supplies to a disaster site<br />
requires air transport. 111 Moving relief goods <strong>and</strong><br />
personnel between countries or within countries, but<br />
not directly to the affected population, is the least<br />
politically sensitive <strong>and</strong> controversial use of foreign<br />
military assets. However, the use of military aircraft<br />
to transport goods <strong>and</strong> personnel to or around<br />
affected areas or to carry out missions such as search<br />
<strong>and</strong> rescue is more politically sensitive. 112<br />
Many countries often send military medical<br />
support assets to disaster relief operations in the<br />
form of medical supplies, field hospitals, doctors, <strong>and</strong><br />
medical professionals. This type of provision is more<br />
controversial than air transport because it involves a<br />
higher degree of direct contact between the affected<br />
populations <strong>and</strong> foreign military personnel. 113 despite<br />
this fact, countries have continued to dispatch<br />
medical support for several reasons. These include:<br />
1) the visibility <strong>and</strong> media exposure from having<br />
one’s armed forces saving lives in a foreign disaster<br />
situations; <strong>and</strong> 2) overwhelming humanitarian need<br />
that cannot be met by local health infrastructure<br />
or by the humanitarian agencies responding to the<br />
disaster. 114<br />
Recent Developments<br />
On August 30, 2012, Uzbekistan lawmakers<br />
approved a foreign policy bill that banned the<br />
creation of foreign military bases in the country <strong>and</strong> its<br />
participation in military blocs. 115 to many experts, the<br />
bill is seen as a symbolic gesture toward both Russia<br />
<strong>and</strong> the United States as the country’s geopolitical<br />
importance grows ahead of the pull of troops from<br />
Afghanistan. 116 This bill was passed shortly after<br />
Uzbekistan’s exit from a Russia-led military alliance.<br />
The exit had sparked debate about Uzbekistan’s<br />
changing allegiances <strong>and</strong> willingness to establish<br />
U.S. bases on its territory. Some observers view the<br />
bill as a demonstration of goodwill to Moscow after<br />
Uzbekistan quit the Russian-led Collective <strong>Security</strong><br />
Treaty Organization (ODKB). 117<br />
In 2005, Uzbekistan closed a U.S. airbase following<br />
Western criticisms of Uzbekistan’s h<strong>and</strong>ling of<br />
unrest in the city of Andijan. Currently, Germany uses<br />
Uzbekistan’s Termez airport near Afghanistan <strong>and</strong><br />
has troops stationed there.<br />
The Role <strong>and</strong> Utility of Overseas Military Bases<br />
Overseas military bases serve important purposes<br />
for a sovereign’s strategic interests abroad.<br />
According to Andrew Krepinevich <strong>and</strong> Robert Work,<br />
“The ultimate aim of any global military posture is<br />
to achieve advantages in global strategic reaction<br />
time, geographic positioning of forces, <strong>and</strong> force<br />
concentration <strong>and</strong> support, <strong>and</strong> thereby contribute<br />
to a favorable strategic balance in both peace <strong>and</strong><br />
war. 118<br />
Case Study: U.S. Military Bases in Okinawa<br />
The issue of U.S. bases in Okinawa is complex<br />
because of the various conflicting economic, social,<br />
<strong>and</strong> political forces both within Japan <strong>and</strong> between<br />
Japan the U.S.<br />
Okinawa is the largest isl<strong>and</strong> of the Japanese<br />
Ryukyu archipelago. Although Okinawa’s surface<br />
area represents less than one percent of Japan’s<br />
l<strong>and</strong>mass, it hosts more than three-quarters of U.S.<br />
bases located on Japanese territory. 119 the isl<strong>and</strong> hosts<br />
23,000 U.S. soldiers <strong>and</strong> 21,000 of their relatives. This<br />
represents one in three American soldiers stationed<br />
in the Asia-Pacific region. 120<br />
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