Foreign Policy: Surrounded: How the U.S. Is Encircling China with Military Bases

[Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies] says the U.S. is likely looking at a three-tiered system of such bases in the Pacific. Some will be strictly American, others like those in Australia to India will be operated by allies who host the Americans on deployments, and the third tier will probably be a more secret string of austere, emergency bases.

"You want forward bases in some areas to show that the United States can operate on its own, then you want that build up interoperability and cooperation with our allies, and then you want contingency capabilities — and with those you want to leave people guessing," said Cordesman.