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| US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter |
Aaron Mehta
SAN FRANCISCO — Secretary of Defense Ash Carter used a keynote address in San Francisco on Tuesday to draw stark parallels between the policies of the United States and those of China, particularly on freedom of commerce and the Internet.
Speaking to the Commonwealth Club, Carter highlighted three major areas — the sea, cyber and space — that he said the US helps protect as an open commons, before contrasting the Pentagon’s policies with those of China.
His speech is the opening salvo of a weeklong, West Coast swing where Carter will be talking to tech industry leaders as he seeks to convince them to partner more with the Department of Defense.
A senior defense official, speaking on background before the speech, made it clear the secretary’s comparisons to China were there for a reason.
“Whereas we believe the United States helps support our global economy, we’re seeing another nation play a spoiler on that role, and I think the secretary wants to draw that contrast heading into a week where he’ll be engaging with a number of leaders in the business community,” the official said.
That term “spoiler” appeared throughout Carter’s prepared remarks, and while the secretary included a reach out to China, it was hard not to see he was trying to spell out a comparison for the Silicon Valley crowd.
“America’s efforts in this region have never been aimed to hold any nation back or push any country down. The United States wants every nation to have an opportunity to rise,” he said.
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