Cutbacks in Asia

From Spacewar.com comes a report warning against America withdrawing from Cold War era bases in Asia, fearing the military buildup of potential hostile states, such as China and North Korea. Hadn't we learned our lesson about fighting a land war in Asia?

The United States can ill afford cutbacks in military capabilities in Asia, warns a report on regional military needs as Washington plans to reduce dependence on bases and troops overseas.
The report by 14 experts assesses how Asian states are modernizing their military programs in response to China's rise as a regional power, counterterrorism, changes in US force posture and local security dilemmas.
Highlighting three possible "conflict" scenarios -- China-Taiwan war, strife on the Korean peninsula and nuclear catastrophe in South Asia -- Michael O'Hanlon, an arms control expert from The Brookings Institution, said the United States and Asian allies "must retain a wide range of military capabilities."

What these "experts" fail to understand is the power of modern weapons, such as smart bombs and cruise missiles, to take the place of troops in many circumstances. And didn't so called experts claim during the Cold War its time to let our allies, especially Japan, to stand on their own and defend themselves?