美国国家公共电台 NPR--After decades focused on the Middle East, the U.S. military shifts to the Pacific

After decades focused on the Middle East, the U.S. military shifts to the Pacific

Transcript¹

After two decades of fighting in the Middle East, the U.S. Army is shifting its focus back to the Pacific to counter a rising China.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

It was President Barack Obama who said it first. After years of fighting in the Middle East, the U.S. was going to, quote, "pivot² to Asia." That was aspirational³ more than anything else as the war in Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism kept the U.S. mired⁴ in that region. It was like the Democrats⁵' version of Infrastructure⁶ Week. Now, the pivot to Asia actually seems to be happening. The U.S. military just finished training exercises in Hawaii with other countries from the Indo-Pacific. And yes, this is all about countering China. NPR's Emily Feng reports from those exercises in Hawaii.

EMILY FENG, BYLINE⁷: The Hawaiian sun has just peeked⁸ out from behind the morning clouds when I get this quick safety rundown right before I step into the Black Hawk⁹ helicopter.

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #1: When you get in, there's going to be two seat belts, one around the waist and two over the shoulders. You don't want to have something we call submarining where you slide out from under the seat.

FENG: And with that, I climb into the back of the Black Hawk with two Army sergeants¹¹.

Thank you. Where do I sit - here?

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #1: Right there.

FENG: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #2: (Inaudible).

FENG: And we're off. This Black Hawk is part of a larger exercise in the skies over Hawaii's islands designed to mimic¹² a real island-hopping campaign, say, off the coast of China or Taiwan. After more than an hour or so of skimming the bright blue Pacific Ocean, the pilot spots the Apache helicopters we're supposed to cover as they attempt to refuel.

UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER #3: You have your Hellfire missiles right here, 30 mm main gun.

FENG: While these air exercises are going on, there's also infantry¹³ units camped out in the Hawaiian jungle and Marine¹⁴ and Navy detachments practicing in the waters around. It's all part of a 10-day training across Hawaii's eight islands hosted out of the U.S. Army's newest training center, one designed specifically to get American fighting forces up to speed working in the Pacific. That's because the U.S. Army is undergoing a massive transition, pivoting¹⁵ to threats in the Pacific. That includes North Korea and Russia and the Arctic. But the real focus, the country, quote, "setting the pace," as the Army calls it, is China.

JOE RYAN: They want to be the most powerful nation on Earth. And I think they see the United States in their way of that goal.

FENG: This is Major General Joe Ryan, the commanding general of the 25th Infantry Division on Hawaii, the main unit participating in the Hawaii exercises. He points to Chinese exercises near Taiwan in August as a sign of Beijing's growing strength.

RYAN: I think most people who were just looking at pure facts would argue that what they did in response to Speaker Pelosi's visit in Taiwan was a rehearsal¹⁶, was a demonstration¹⁷ of capability¹⁸. And there's no question about that.

FENG: Which is why an entire generation of officers who cut their teeth in counterinsurgency in Afghanistan and Iraq have to get up to speed in the Indo-Pacific.

CHARLES FLYNN: You want me to hold it?

FENG: Helping¹⁹ lead the charge and the army is this guy, General Charles Flynn. He's the commanding general of the U.S. Army Pacific.

FLYNN: You know, you look at areas like Oceana and what's going - some of the activities that are going on in South Asia. And then we've already talked about their actions in the East China Sea, South China Sea, Taiwan Strait. And those are concerning.

FENG: Beijing is paying close attention. And they've also set ambitious goals to modernize²⁰ their own military for what they say is self-defense. But that has made other countries, not just the U.S., nervous. That's why Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia sent infantry units of their own to train with American soldiers in Hawaii. Nine other countries, like Australia and Japan, are observing. Many of them are interested in holding their own such exercises and building their own training centers. General Flynn says these partnerships²¹ are key.

FLYNN: I believe that that is our greatest counterweight to the incremental²² and insidious²³ behavior of the PRC.

FENG: Sergeant¹⁰ Pongsang Petbosah (ph) came with the Royal Thai Army to Hawaii to observe the training.

PONGSANG PETBOSAH: The U.S. Army is very professional, and it's very helpful for us to be prepared and pick up what we have left behind or we have been behind from.

FENG: And this joint²⁴ training also makes it easier to sync up and join forces with the U.S. Army in short order, if ever needed. Back out in the jungle of Oahu, I find Indonesian and American soldiers setting up posts in a couple of concrete buildings they've captured overnight. It's not always smooth working together because not everyone speaks English, and they've got to fall back on sign language every so often. Despite such challenges, Major General Ryan says this preparation is worth the effort.

RYAN: The old adage²⁵ of the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war, that's really what we hope to achieve. But again, the goal by doing it is to deter²⁶ China from thinking that they will be successful.

FENG: And thereby²⁷ preventing a conflict in the first place.

Emily Feng, NPR News, Oahu, Hawaii.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 pivot   

v.在枢轴上转动；装枢轴，枢轴；adj.枢轴的

参考例句：

• She is the central pivot of creation and represents the feminine aspect in all things.她是创造的中心枢轴，表现出万物的女性面貌。
• If a spring is present,the hand wheel will pivot on the spring.如果有弹簧，手轮的枢轴会装在弹簧上。

3 aspirational   

志同的，有抱负的

参考例句：

• Most of the images that bombard us all are aspirational. 轰击的图像，我们都期望最大。
• Analysts said self-help and aspirational reading could explain India's high figures. 分析师们指出，自助读书、热爱读书是印度人均读书时间超过别的国家的主要原因。

4 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 peeked   

v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出

参考例句：

• She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

11 sergeants   

警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士

参考例句：

• Platoon sergeants fell their men in on the barrack square. 排长们在营房广场上整顿队伍。
• The recruits were soon licked into shape by the drill sergeants. 新兵不久便被教育班长训练得象样了。

12 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

13 infantry   

n.[总称]步兵(部队)

参考例句：

• The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
• We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。

14 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

15 pivoting   

n.绕轴旋转，绕公共法线旋转v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的现在分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开

参考例句：

• Here is a neat YouTube video showing the Gyro's pivoting mechanism. 这里是一个整洁的YouTube视频显示陀螺仪的旋转机制。 来自互联网
• Dart pivoting is widely used in the gannent pattern design. 省道转移的原理在服装纸样设计中应用十分广泛。 来自互联网

16 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

17 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

18 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

19 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

20 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

21 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

22 incremental   

adj.增加的

参考例句：

• For logic devices, the incremental current gain is very important. 对于逻辑器件来说，提高电流增益是非常重要的。 来自辞典例句
• By using an incremental approach, the problems involving material or geometric nonlinearity have been solved. 借应用一种增量方法，已经解决了包括材料的或几何的非线性问题。 来自辞典例句

23 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

24 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

25 adage   

n.格言，古训

参考例句：

• But the old adage that men grow into office has not proved true in my experience.但是，根据我的经验，人们所谓的工作岗位造就人材这句古话并不正确。
• Her experience lends credence to the adage " We live and learn!"她的经验印证了一句格言: 活到老，学到老！

26 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

27 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。