Thayer Consultancy Background Briefing:

ABN # 65 648 097 123

U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy:
Implications for Vietnam and the
South China Sea
Carlyle A. Thayer
August 9, 2018
Doan Lan Huong, Reporter, International Desk, Bao Kinh Te & Do Thi:
Q1. What do you think about the role of Vietnam in U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy? Note
that President Trump announced the concept of Indo-Pacific in APEC held in Da
Nang, Viet Nam.
ANSWER: Vietnam is very important to the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy. Prime Minister
Nguyen Xuan Phuc was the first head of government from Southeast Asia to be
received in The White House by President Donald Trump. President Trump not only
attended the APEC summit in Da Nang but made an official visit to Hanoi
immediately after.
Vietnam is singled out in the U.S. National Security Strategy (December 2017) as a
growing security and economic partner of the United States along with Indonesia,
Malaysia and Singapore.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis visited Hanoi in January 2018 and described
Vietnam as a “like-minded partner.” In March this year, the USS Carl Vinson made
the first visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam since reunification. Secretary of
State Mike Pompeo made his first visit to Hanoi in July after an important trip to
North Korea. This high-level attention by the Trump Administration illustrates the
importance it views Vietnam.
The Trump Administration takes note of Vietnam’s contribution to UN Peacekeeping
Operation in South Sudan. This year will witness the deployment of a Level II field
hospital. Vietnam will contribute military engineers later.
Vietnam is viewed as important in Washington because of its constructive role in
ASEAN and because Vietnam will be ASEAN Chair in 2020 and likely will be re-elected
non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Q2. And how important is the South China Sea issues in this initiative?
The U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) highlights the importance of a “free and
open Indo-Pacific” in general and the South China Sea in particular. The NSS states:
that China’s “efforts to build and militarize outposts in the South China Sea endanger
the free flow of trade, threaten the sovereignty of other nations, and undermine
regional stability.”
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The Summary of the National Defense Strategy of the United States of America,
released early in 2018, also underscored the importance of the Indo-Pacific region.
Most recently, in late July, Secretary of State Pompeo launched the Indo-Pacific
Economic Vision. Pompeo stated, “make no mistake, the Indo-Pacific, which
stretches from the United States west coast to the west coast of India, is a subject of
great importance to America foreign policy… this region is one of the greatest
engines of future global – of the future global economy, and it already is today. And
the American people and the whole world have a stake in the Indo=Pacific’s peace
and prosperity. It’s why the Indo-Pacific must be free and open.”
BACKGROUND
The Trump Administration’s adoption of the Indo-Pacific strategy resulted from an
inter-agency whole-of-government drafting of the National Security Strategy of the
United States of America (NSS) approved by President Donald Trump and publicly
released in December 2017.
In October 2017, prior to the release of the NSS, the then Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson used the term Indo-Pacific during his visit to India. After meeting Prime
Minister Modi Tillerson told the press, "the United States supports India's
emergence as a leading power and will continue to contribute to Indian capabilities
to provide security throughout the region… We also look forward to further
cooperation in the broader Indo Pacific region as we both promote a rules-based
approach to commerce, and a transparent and sustainable approach to economic
development.”
In November 2017, President Trump used his attendance at the APEC CEO Summit in
Da Nang to highlight the importance of the Indo-Pacific Region (IPR) and bilateral –
not multilateral – trade agreements in his address to APEC. Trump stated, “I will
make bilateral trade agreements with any Indo-Pacific nation that wants to be our
partner and that will abide by the principles of fair and reciprocal trade.”
Trump also proffered another theme, a refocusing of U.S. development efforts to
focus on funding “high-quality infrastructure investment that promotes economic
growth” in the Indo-Pacific. He singled out in particular the role of the World Bank
and Asian Development Bank.
In December 2017, the NSS fully articulated a United States strategy towards the
Indo-Pacific. This document stated “a geopolitical competition between free and
repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region.” China
was singled out for using “economic inducements and penalties, influence
operations, and implied military threats to persuade other states to heed its political
and security agenda.”
The U.S. NSS set out three priority areas for action.
The first area is political and the NSS states the United States “will redouble our
commitment to established alliances and partnerships, while expanding and
deepening relationships with new partners that share respect for sovereignty, fair
and reciprocal trade, and the rule of law.”
The importance of the South China Sea is underscored by this commitment in the
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NSS, the United States “will reinforce out commitment to freedom of the seas and
the peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in accordance with
international law.”
The second priority area is economic. The NSS states, “the United States will
encourage regional cooperation to maintain free and open seaways, transparent
infrastructure financing practices, unimpeded commerce, and the peaceful
resolution of disputes.” The NSS goes on to state that the United States “will work
with partners to build a network of states dedicated to free markets and protected
from forces that would subvert their sovereignty.”
The third priority area is military and security. Here the NSS commits the United
States to maintaining a forward military presence capable of deterring and, if
necessary, defeating any adversary.” The U.S. will “encourage the development of a
strong defense network with our allies and partners.”
Significantly, the NSS stated that the U.S. “will re-energize our alliances with the
Philippines and Thailand and strengthen our partnerships with Singapore, Vietnam,
Indonesia, Malaysia and others to help them become cooperative maritime partners
(emphasis added).”
In January 2018, the Pentagon released an unclassified Summary of the National
Defense Strategy of the United States of America that underscored the importance of
the Indo-Pacific region (see above). This document stated:
Enduring coalitions and long-term security partnerships, underpinned by our
bedrock alliances and reinforced by our allies’ own webs of security relationships,
remain a priority:
Expand Indo-Pacific alliances and partnerships. A free and open Indo-Pacific
region provides prosperity and security for all. We will strengthen our alliances
and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to networked security architecture capable of
deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuring free access to the
common domains. With key countries in the region, we will bring together
bilateral and multilateral security relationships to preserve the free and open
international system.
In July 2018, Secretary Pompeo put forward an American Indo-Pacific Economic
Vision. In his presentation Pompeo defined what the Trump Administration means
by “free and open.” According to Pompeo:
When we say “free” Indo-Pacific, it means we all want all nations, every nation, to
be able to protect their sovereignty from coercion by other countries. At the
national level, “free” means good governance and the assurance that citizens can
enjoy their fundamental rights and liberties
When we say “open” in the Indo-Pacific, it means we want all nations to enjoy
open access to seas and airways. We want the peaceful resolution of territorial
and maritime disputes. This is key for international peace and for each country’s
attainment of its own national aims.
Economically, “open” means fair and reciprocal trade, open investment
environments, transparent agreements between nations, and improved
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connectivity to drive regional ties – because these are the paths for sustainable
growth in the region.
In August 2018, the U.S. Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act
Fiscal Year 2019 (NDAA FY2019). This included a section authorizing fourteen
guidelines and funding for the Defense Department in the Indo-Pacific region:
Subtitle E--Matters Relating to the Indo-Pacific Region
Sec. 1251. Support for Indo-Pacific stability initiative.
Sec. 1252. United States strategy on China.
Sec. 1253. Strengthening Taiwan's force readiness.
Sec. 1254. Modification, redesignation, and extension of Southeast Asia Maritime
Security Initiative.
Sec. 1255. Missile defense exercises in the Indo-Pacific region with United States
regional allies and partners.
Sec. 1256. Quadrilateral cooperation and exercise.
Sec. 1257. Name of United States Indo-Pacific Command.
Sec. 1258. Requirement for critical languages and expertise in Chinese, Korean,
and Russian.
Sec. 1259. Modification of report required under enhancing defense and security
cooperation with India.
Sec. 1260. Statement of policy on naval vessel transfers to Japan.
Sec. 1261. Report and public notification on China's military, maritime, and air
activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sec. 1262. Senior defense engagement with Taiwan.
Sec. 1263. Limitation on use of funds to reduce the total number of members of
the Armed Forces serving on active duty who are deployed to the Republic of
Korea.
Sec. 1264. Enhancing missile defense cooperation with partners.

Suggested citation: Carlyle A. Thayer, “U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy: Implications for

Vietnam and the South China Sea,” Thayer Consultancy Background Brief, August,9
2018. All background briefs are posted on Scribd.com (search for Thayer). To remove
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