Area of Responsibility
The United States Pacific Command's area of jurisdiction covers over fifty percent of the world's surface area – approximately 105 million square miles (nearly 272 million square kilometers) – nearly sixty percent of the world's population, thirty-six countries, twenty territories, and ten territories and possessions of the United States.
Its AOR encompasses the Pacific Ocean from Antarctica at 092° W, north to 8° N, west to 112° W, northwest to 50° N/142° W, west to 170° E, north to 53° N, northeast to 65°30' N/169° W, north to 90° N, the Arctic Ocean west of 169° W and east of 100° E; the People's Republic of China, Mongolia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Japan; the countries of Southeast Asia and the southern Asian landmass to the western border of India; the Indian Ocean east and south of the line from the India/Pakistan coastal border west to 068° E, south to 5° S/068° E, west to 5° S/059° E, south to 8° S/059° E, southwest to 11° S/054° E, west to 11° S/042° E, and south along 042° E to Antarctica; Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.
It is charged with fulfilling the following mutual defense treaties signed by the United States:
- U.S./Republic of the Philippines (Mutual Defense Treaty, 1952)
- U.S./Australia/New Zealand (ANZUS – U.S., 1952)
- U.S./Republic of Korea (Mutual Defense Treaty, 1954)
- U.S./Japan (Mutual Defense Treaty, 1960)
In addition, PACOM's area of responsibility covers Taiwan whose defense relationship with the United States is governed by the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979. Furthermore, while the SEATO organization was disestablished in the late 1970s, SEACDT, the Collective Defense Treaty, still formally binds the U.S., France, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Thirty-five percent of the total trade of the United States globally falls within the watch of the United States Pacific Command, amounting to more than $548 billion in 1998. Five of the world's largest militaries are monitored by the United States Pacific Command: People's Republic of China, India, Russia, North Korea and South Korea.
Read more about this topic: United States Pacific Command
Famous quotes containing the words area of and/or area:
“Whether we regard the Women’s Liberation movement as a serious threat, a passing convulsion, or a fashionable idiocy, it is a movement that mounts an attack on practically everything that women value today and introduces the language and sentiments of political confrontation into the area of personal relationships.”
—Arianna Stassinopoulos (b. 1950)
“During the Civil War the area became a refuge for service- dodging Texans, and gangs of bushwhackers, as they were called, hid in its fastnesses. Conscript details of the Confederate Army hunted the fugitives and occasional skirmishes resulted.”
—Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)