Aka I get my news from rpolitics , CNN and Washington Post <| sep |> Strategically speaking , it ' s about our interest and the interest of our allies in the region . To counter Chinese military expansion and possession of what could be vast reservoirs of resources Gas , Oil , Fish Stocks in the South China Sea . Trump also suggested that if US troops stayed in Asia , the host countries would have to better help cover the costs . ' We cannot afford to be losing vast amounts of billions of dollars on all of this , he told The Times . And I have a feeling that they ' d up the ante very much . I think they would , and if they wouldn ' t I would really have to say yes . ' Trump ' s voters , and therefore I think Trump , do not care about those things . I get what you ' re saying about optics . I just don ' t buy it . In fact , I think the optics of having Coast Guard patrol boats in the area are just as bad . Large nations using their military to project force is typical , but sending law enforcement assets sends a different one altogether . This imperialist , this is mine so I can enforce laws here projection is exactly why the Chinese are using their Coast Guard . Sending the Navy shows China that we don ' t buy into this . It says , this is not an LE issue , this is a freedom of navigation issue . And that ' s the core truth here , isn ' t it ? You call it an LE issue but it ' s really not . This areas is no one ' s EEZ . Or rather , it ' s everyone ' s EEZ . What Coast Guard cutter is going to be able to make a 15 , 000 ton Chinese frigatesized cutter back down ?