Strategic planners at the Pentagon worried about how well the Army could respond if it had to dispatch troops unexpectedly to a conflict elsewhere in the world.

NEWYORKER: The General��s Dilemma

The Qingdao review did include an interesting addition to China's fleet, a Yuzhao-class amphibious-assault ship, which could be used to dispatch troops and helicopters over long distances.

ECONOMIST: China flaunts its naval muscle

But public opinion is still against a Japanese presence in Iraq with a recent telephone opinion poll finding only 9 percent supporting the government's plan to dispatch troops to the region.

CNN: Japan: Diplomats shot in vehicles