Obama and Pacific Power

Canberra, Australia (CNN) — President Barack Obama traveled to Indonesia on Thursday after spending two days in Australia, where he declared that the United States will increase its military presence and expand its role in shaping the Asia Pacific region.

“Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in this region,” Obama told the Australian Parliament. “The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay.”

He announced an agreement with Australia on Wednesday that will expand military cooperation between the longtime allies and boost America’s presence in the region.

In a speech a day later, Obama made it clear that the military expansion is a top priority in the wake of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, even as the United States faces the need to reduce mounting federal deficits and debt.

“As we end today’s wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia Pacific a top priority,” Obama said. “As a result, reductions in U.S. defense spending will not — I repeat, will not — come at the expense of the Asia Pacific.”

The speech on the second day of his two-day trip to Australia, Obama’s first as president, signaled a policy objective to compete head-on with China for influence in the region while also providing security assurances for allies.

Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters that the policy comes in part from nations of the region seeking increased U.S. presence.

“The ability of the United States to help respond to contingencies is something that has been welcomed in recent years, whether, again, it was work that we’re doing in the Philippines to counter violent extremism, work that we’re doing to counter piracy in the region, the response to the tsunami in Indonesia,” Rhodes said. “So in other words, there’s a demand signal from the nations of the region, and this is something that we’re doing in concert with one of our closest allies. So we believe it’s not just entirely appropriate, but an important step to dealing with the challenges of the future of the Asia Pacific region.”

Under the military agreement announced Wednesday, up to 250 U.S. Marines will be sent to Darwin and the northern region of Australia for military exercises and training. Over the next several years their numbers are expected to climb to 2,500 — a full Marine ground task force.