It is not equivalent. The US presence in the west pacific is welcomed by almost all the countries in the region, including Vietnam. All of the countries suppor

It is not equivalent. The US presence in the west pacific is welcomed by almost all the countries in the region, including Vietnam. All of the countries supporting the US presence want to see the current rules-based order continue, and are alarmed by the CCP's illegal territory grabs. There is no analogy with US engagement in the Middle East, Afghanistan, or the Vietnam War. That the US is a long way away is also not significant - several of its largest trading partners are in the region, and it has long-standing treaty obligations to many countries. US security guarantees have served non-proliferation goals since the second world war, and everyone wins from this: lower investments in military, less risk of rogue nuclear weapons, simpler strategic calculations than if every small country had nuclear weapons.