Beyond the Quad: Booming Security Cooperation Efforts in the Indo-Pacific

Quad partners are becoming much more serious about security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Reciprocal Access Agreement said that the agreement is meant to “simplify procedures when implementing cooperative activities, such as port calls of vessels and joint exercises between the two countries and further promote bilateral security and defense cooperation.” A U.K. government press release said that the agreement “will also cement the UK’s commitment to Indo-Pacific security, allowing both forces to plan and deliver larger scale, more complex military exercises and deployments.” The Japanese statement noted the current international security context, where the international order is being challenged by Russian aggression of Ukraine as well as “attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East and South China Sea.” Amid those developments, the Foreign Ministry said, Japan and the U.K. are stepping up their security and defense cooperation to “new heights” with the broader goal of realizing a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak remarked that in an “increasingly competitive world, it is more important than ever that democratic societies continue to stand shoulder to shoulder as we navigate the unprecedented global challenges of our time.” As highlighted by the press release, the reciprocal agreement comes in the backdrop of an agreement among Japan, Italy, and the U.K. “to develop the next generation of air fighter jets under the new Global Combat Air Program” signed in December. In responding to a question on the Japan-U.K. defense agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin commented that the region is “an anchor for peace and development, not a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition” and that “China is a cooperation partner for all countries and poses no challenge to anyone.” The spokesperson added that defense agreements “should not target any imaginary enemies, still less replicate the obsolete mindset of bloc confrontation in the Asia-Pacific.” The Japan-U.S. 2+2 meeting in January was another important indicator of Japan’s changing security approach. With deterrence as the centerpiece, the joint statement issued at the end of the 2+2 meeting said the U.S. and Japan agreed “to advance bilateral modernization initiatives to build a more capable, integrated, and agile Alliance that bolsters deterrence and addresses evolving regional and global security challenges.” There was also a focus on building up their capabilities in a number of mission areas, including integrated air and missile defense, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, mine warfare, amphibious and airborne operations, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting, logistics, and mobility. While signing the agreement, then-Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison reportedly said that “Japan is our closest partner in Asia as demonstrated by our special strategic partnership, Australia’s only such partnership — an equal partnership of shared trust between two great democracies committed to the rule of law, human rights, free trade and a free and open Indo-Pacific.” Further, Japan and Australia inked a new bilateral security agreement that covers military, intelligence and space and cybersecurity cooperation.