US military to boost naval fleet in Asia

A top US naval commander said Monday that Washington plans to boost its military presence in Asia, while warning that China should expand its own forces in a "responsible and constructive" way.

The United States has expressed concerns about Beijing's military build up, with the Pentagon saying this month that China was developing "counter-space" weapons that could shoot down satellites or jam signals.

Somali pirates ‘heading to Asia’

Somali pirates are responding to anti-piracy efforts off the African coast by moving further into Asian waters, says US Admiral Robert Willard.

He says the only solution to solving the piracy issue is to restore stability inside Somalia, which has been without an effective central government since 1991. Willard is the head of the United States Pacific Command, with 300 000 troops serving under him.

"It's remarkable that 28 nations combining their maritime forces together in the Gulf of Aden have not been able to defeat this challenge," Willard told the Asia Society on a visit to Washington last Thursday. “The pirates are just ranging farther out into the Indian Ocean - hundreds of miles, quite literally.”