U.S. military says no big troop buildup in Asia Pacific

 WASHINGTON, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The United States is not shifting big number of troops into the Asia Pacific region, but will try and upgrade its engagement with limited means and foster allies' participation¹, said Joint² Chiefs of Staff Chairman Martin Dempsey on Thursday.

At a Pentagon press briefing, Dempsey said repositioning forces to the Asia Pacific is not the "essence of rebalancing" to that region, which the Obama administration is doing as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down.

He said the strategy involves "three mores," including more interest, more engagement and more quality, and the U.S. side is eyeing a troops presence there more at a rotational³ basis, rather than at permanent bases.

Fresh off an Asian tour which included stops at Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, Dempsey said regional countries mostly gave "positive feedback" to that approach, and the U.S. side wants them to take a bigger share of the burden.

"We're encouraging ASEAN [the Association of Southeast Asian Nations] to take a more active role, to be a unified⁴ voice for security issues in that region," he said.

Dempsey is part of the Department of Defense⁵ delegation⁶ to the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, and he went solo to Thailand and the Philippines after that, as Defense Secretary went on to visit Vietnam, India and Afghanistan.

The U.S. military is facing mounting pressure to cut back on expenses, and the Pentagon is cutting 487 billion dollars of military budget over the next 10 years. If Congress fails to act this year, automatic cuts totaling 600 billion will kick in next year, further straining the military's ability.

The U.S. side has insisted budget related to the rebalancing effort won't be cut, however, Dean Cheng, a research fellow at Heritage Foundation, cautioned that the vastness of the Pacific could put more burden on a military already stretched thin, as more exercises and ship visits mean more wear and tear on ship hulls⁷ and aircraft airframes. It also means more time away from home for service people, threatening to weaken readiness, maintenance, training and retention⁸.

1 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

2 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

3 rotational   

adj.回转的，轮流的

参考例句：

• A synchronous motor drives the measuring bob at a constant rotational speed.同步马达驱动测锤以恒速旋转。
• With some limitations,this is true also of rotational degrees of freedom.在某些限定条件下，这一说法对转动自由度也成立。

4 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

7 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

8 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。