Clearly, the problem for the Thais in the immediate post-1975 period was to induce the United States to retain at least some interest in Southeast Asia. Formal commitments, no matter how definite they may be, depend for their practical value on the availability of physical means of putting them into effect. In this respect, there were some causes for serious concern, most notably the adoption prior to 1978 of the Seventh Fleet's "Swing" strategy, whereby some of its naval units would be transferred to Europe. That move, in the face of the growing Soviet military presence in the Pacific, seriously disturbed America's friends and allied in Southeast Asia.