U S AND THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION ^9 with Japan (1960), South Korea (1954), and the Philippines (1951), military cooperation agreements (latest 1980) and military aid agreements with Thailand and Taiwan (Taiwan Relations Act 1979). The U S also provides military aid either on grant or on credit basis to Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea. In 1951, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States signed a tripartite treaty, the ANZUS Pact, which was to be of an indefinite duration. The Manila Pact signed on September 8, 1954 by Australia, Britain, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and the United States remdins in force, though France and Pakistan subsequently withdrew from it. This pact calls for mutual help and consultation in case of any threat to territory, sovereignty or political independence of any party. The Five-Power Defence Agreement among Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Britain, related to the defence of Malaysia and Singapore and came into effect on November, 1, 1971. Britain withdrew its forces from Malaysia in March 1976, but the New Zealand troops remain in Singapore, as do the Australian air units in Malaysia and Singapore. And the Australian and New Zealand naval units visit Malaysia and Singapore regularly. Unlike the United States which has a string of bases in the whole of the Asia-Pacific region, the Soviet Union does not have a single base, let alone a nuclear base., outside its own country in this region. But it has a formidable naval fleet built almost from the scratch during the last decade. Under the Reagan administration, the U S has adopted even more aggressive military postures all over the world. The Pentagon has identi6ed the existence of major threats to the U S interests in areas such as the Korean peninsula, the Middle East, the Caribbean region and the north-west Pacific area. Significantly, Reagan made two trips to East Asia during the last one year(1983-84). Noting that "the security of the U S and of Japan cannot be separated from the security of the allied and neighbouring countries", Reagon in an address to a joint session of the Japanese Diet appealed for cooperation between the "two big powers", and urged that "the U S, Japan and'allied countries should contribute to world peace through military strength".4 Since the beginning of the Reagan administration, the joint statements of t'he U S-Korea Security Council have defined Korea's security as "the axis for peace and stability in North-east Asia, and crucial to the security of the United States". Reagan has openly appealed that "Japan should assume more responsibility for our (U S and Japan) mutual efforts for defence". In the new context of stepped up militarism under Reagan, even the use of nuclear weapons as an offensive tactic is not ruled out. In the wake of increasing opposition from the people to the U S bases, the new strategy has been to strengthen the bases at various islands; and, invariably, all these bases are equipped with nuclear weapons. On January 22, 1983, the Chief of Staff of the US Army, Meyer, in a