What Future May Hold for Military Relationships
VAUSE: U.S. president Barack Obama warns any plans to scrap his diplomatic achievements would be a win for terrorists. It appeared to be an indirect message to his successor Donald Trump. CNN's Andy Rose reports.</s>BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I was just told that was going to be the last "hail to the chief" on the road, and it got me kind of sentimental.</s>ANDY ROSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In his last planned speech on national security Tuesday, President Obama touted anti-terrorism victories.</s>OBAMA: We should take great pride in the progress that we've made over the last eight years. That's the bottom line. No foreign terrorist organization has successfully planned and executed an attack on our homeland.</s>OBAMA: And it's not because they didn't try.</s>ROSE: And struck a very different tone to the campaign trail talk of his soon-to-be successor regarding who is and isn't welcome in the country.</s>OBAMA: The United States of America's not a place where some citizens have to withstand greater scrutiny or carry a special I.D. card or prove that they're not an enemy from within. We're a country that has bled and struggled and sacrificed against that kind of discrimination.</s>ROSE: At times the current commander-in-chief seemed to be attempting to leave sign posts for President-elect Trump when it comes to international diplomacy.</s>OBAMA: Terrorists would love to see us walk away from the type of work that builds international coalitions. It would make life easier for them. It would be a tragic mistake for us.</s>ROSE: The president emphasized that while the danger of terrorism is a long-term one America must stay true to its values in order to defeat it. I'm Andy Rose reporting.</s>VAUSE: A President Donald Trump may change the military relationship the U.S. and some nation -- Asian nations. Ivan Watson shows us the winners and the losers.</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): In his campaign to become president Donald Trump raised some serious questions about the future of U.S. Defense cooperation in Asia. So let's take a look at the security umbrella that the U.S. has spread over this sprawling region ever since World War II. The U.S. has signed collective defense agreements with six regional allies -- Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. The treaties say an attack on one of these countries would be a direct threat against the U.S. and it would be obliged to respond. To support these treaties U.S. Pacific Command has some 380,000 troops and civilian personnel, around 2400 aircraft, and approximately 200 warships. They are deployed across a network of forward bases to better respond to potential crises including the island of Guam, which is home to 300 different military commands. For more than half a century the U.S. has also deployed troops at bases in Japan as well as in South Korea. But in his campaign Trump suggested this might be about to change.</s>TRUMP: At some point we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. We're better off frankly if South Korea is going to start to protect itself.</s>WATSON: So who stands to gain if the U.S. pulls back on its commitments in Asia? First of all, North Korea. With its massive army, it periodically tests nuclear weapons and its frequent long-range missile launch tests, which are a direct threat to the U.S. and its allies. And then there's North Korea's traditional ally China, which has a standing military of more than two million active service members. In recent years it laid claim to virtually all of the South China Sea, and it has expanded its military presence there. And don't forget Russia. With its Pacific Navy fleet headquartered in the port of Vladivostok. For decades the U.S. has provided security guarantees across this vast region. Now both allies and rivals will be closely watching to see if that's about to change. Ivan Watson, CNN, Washington.</s>VAUSE: When it comes to math, science, and reading, Singapore's students are the best in the world. Japan ranks second while world powers like China and the U.S. place lower on the list. The findings are part of an international education survey given every three years to 15-year-old students in dozens of countries. You can view more of the survey on our Web site at CNN.com. Time for a quick break. "STATE OF AMERICA" with Kate Bolduan is up next for our viewers in Asia. And next here on NEWSROOM L.A., Angela Merkel has taken heat for her controversial open-door policy toward migrants. Now she wants to pull back the veil on some Muslim women. Quite literally. Also a mother's heartbreak four years after her child was killed at a grade school massacre. What she is now doing so other parents will not have to go through the same thing.