Eyes On China As US Pacific Command Changes Leadership

POSTED: 5:58 pm HST March 9, 2012
UPDATED: 6:16 pm HST March 9, 2012

CAMP SMITH, HAWAII -- U.S. Pacific Command, which oversees more than half of the world's surface and consists of 330,000 military and civilian personnel, has a new leader.Adm. Sam Locklear took over command of PACOM for retiring Adm. Robert Willard during an elaborate ceremony Friday at Camp Smith on Oahu.Most recently, Locklear served as commander of U.S. Naval forces in Europe, where he coordinated NATO airstrikes on the forces of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi."Because of Sam Locklear's leadership, he brought NATO together into an operation that successfully took down Gadhafi and gave Libya back to the Libyan people," said U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who traveled to Hawaii for the change of command.Panetta also praised Willard's leadership of PACOM over the past four years, saying he helped bridge new alliances and partnerships that strengthened the United States' standing in the region."He always offers very deep strategic insights into the most pressing security challenges, and his very plainspoken manner has made him an outstanding leader here in the Asia-Pacific," said the defense chief.Panetta, Willard and Locklear also addressed concerns over China's ongoing military buildup, which has seen the communist nation deploy naval forces further west and east into the Pacific and Indian oceans over the past several years.All three men were in agreement the U.S. would not cede control of the region to China anytime soon."We will work to preserve peace and deter and defend against provocations throughout this region," said Locklear. "PACOM is the vanguard of our new U.S. defense strategy, a strategy that clearly recognizes that we are a Pacific nation.""The United States and China have a long way to go to resolve divergences in our respective strategies and gaps in our military relations," added Willard, who is now officially retired.Willard leaves behind a long and storied naval career that began in 1973 when he graduated from the United States Naval Academy. Panetta awarded him the Defense Distinguished Service Medal for nearly four decades of military service.The defense chief also joked about Willard's role in the 1986 movie "Top Gun," featuring actor Tom Cruise. Willard, an accomplished naval aviator and former executive officer of the real Top Gun naval school, served as the film's aerial coordinator.Panetta mentioned that he has been hearing rumors of a "Top Gun" sequel, but warned Willard not to write checks "your body can't cash," which drew a burst of laughter from the standing-room-only crowd.

Source: http://www.kitv.com/news/30649796/detail.html

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