The failure of the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“super committee”) to come to agreement on reducing the federal deficit raises the real prospect of a total of $1 trillion in cuts to the defense budget over the next decade. These cuts have been put forth with little consideration for their long-term impact: a dangerous degradation of America’s capacity to deter, defend, and defeat her enemies. They will have a particularly negative impact on America’s ability to stabilize and influence Asia, a critical component of U.S. national security. While the past century has seen America establish a strong role in Asia, these gains would be jeopardized by the proposed enormous pending cuts in defense capability.