theater
Operation Tomodachiでも陣頭指揮をとったアメリカ太平洋軍司令ロバート・F・ウィラード大将が退官しました。式の席上、パネッタ国防長官は「太平洋地域は非常に重要なtheater」であると述べました。
もちろんこれは比喩ですが、通常、the Pacific theater of World War II （「第２次大戦の太平洋戦区」）というように「 戦闘が行なわれている地域という意味で使われます。アメリカにとって太平洋は戦争が行われている地域なのでしょう。（UG）
Pentagon Leaders Praise Willard, Welcome Locklear to Pacom
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 9, 2012 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the outgoing chief of U.S. Pacific Command for his leadership and welcomed his successor today.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, center, salutes during the U.S. Pacific Command Change of Command ceremony on Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii. Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, right, relinquished command to Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III and retired after nearly 39 years of Navy service. DOD Photo by Glenn Fawcett
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, who retires after nearly four decades of naval service, passed the leadership of Pacom to Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii.
“Admiral Willard brings to a close a remarkable, nearly four-decade career as a naval aviator,” Panetta said. “It has taken him to every corner of the globe and to almost every level of command from fighter squadron to commander of the mighty 7th Fleet and now the Pacific Command.”
Panetta characterized Willard as “a proven and very effective leader” who also spent time at the Pentagon serving on the Joint Staff.
“He’s a brilliant and accomplished military officer,” Panetta said of Willard. “He always offers very deep strategic insights into the most-pressing security challenges. And his very plain spoken manner has made him an outstanding leader here in the Asia-Pacific.”
Panetta noted the critical need to maintain a presence in the Asia-Pacific theater.
“This is an extremely important theater,” he said. “And this is a pivotal moment in history when America’s future, in many ways, depends on the peace and prosperity of this very vital region.
Dempsey added his perspective of Pacom’s important role.
“This is no ordinary change of command,” he said. “With the strategic sweep from the West Coast of Bob’s home state of California to the West Coast of India, U.S. Pacific Command’s responsibility encompasses almost half of the Earth’s surface and half of the world’s population.”
“It’s also deeply intertwined with our nation’s destiny in this 21st century, a fact that we made clear in our recently released emerging defense strategy,” the chairman added.
