As long as declining post-Cold War defense budgets can maintain the superior ability that defines superpower status, our global leadership is politically palatable. But the assumption that the price of leadership is declining is invalid. The spectacular images of technological invincibility from American wizard weapons in the Gulf War make forward engagement an easy policy to sell to the public. In the world of CNN and PBS the war seems to have consisted largely of U.S. laser-guided missiles zapping Iraqi buildings with pinpoint accuracy. The Gulf War was a testament to the extraordinary ability of the United States to move enough equipment halfway around the world to build a military base in the middle of a desert.
Forward engagement depends on pre-existing forward bases.
A military force that has no airfields or ports to accept reinforcements is impotent. The vulnerability of bases is America's singular military weakness in Asia. Naval forces are not a substitute for land bases. Aircraft carriers and other ships cannot generate anything like the military power or psychological effect of fixed bases. Ballistic missiles are made to destroy bases.