Jerry Hendrix, vice president of the Telemus Group, discusses what could be in the new U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, and the makeup of the 355-ship fleet.
The military’s new Indo-Pacific strategy will be released at the upcoming Shangri-La Dialogue at the end of May. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan will explain how they will approach that region in the context of the National Defense Strategy. Jerry Hendrix, vice president of the Telemus Group, says that the new strategy’s focus will be on China. “If we look at the National Security Strategy and it’s derivative National Defense Strategy. NSC has come out with its own Indo-Pacific strategy, it is very clear that the strategic focus is on China as the pacing threat. I suspect that Secretary Shanahan is going to come forward, he’s going to keep the focus squarely on the region, Hendrix said. “I think we’re going to see an expansion of this theme on the Indo-Pacific, the Indian ocean, the range coming from Africa, the Arabian Gulf, all the way across to the East China Sea. He is going to put more muscle on that skeleton that is coming out and we’re going to have a better definition of this competition between the United States and its allies in the region and China.”
