Pacific allies join to combat transnational threats

JOINING FORCES: U.S. President Barack Obama is joined by Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, China Premier Wen Jiabao and Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard during a group photo at the East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia, last November. The United States and India will be hosting conferences in February that will include Japan and Australia and will focus on defense cooperation. [Reuters]

Two simultaneous conferences in Hawaii and India in early February confirm the growth of a new web of defense cooperation relationships among India, Japan, Australia and the United States to ensure maritime security and protect trade routes throughout the Western Pacific, the Southeast Asian region and the Indian Ocean.

The growing interaction among the four nations is being encouraged by the United States under President Barack Obama’s new “Asia First” strategy presented at the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum [APEC] in Honolulu and the East Asia Summit [EAS] in Bali, Indonesia, both in November.

The aim of the strategy is not to confront or contain China, but to strengthen the U.S. security posture and cooperation with major Pacific Rim and Indian Ocean nations in the face of such threats as international terrorism, arms smuggling, drug trafficking and piracy.

“Our new focus on this region reflects a fundamental truth -- the United States has been, and always will be, a Pacific nation. Asian immigrants helped build America, and millions of American families, including my own, cherish our ties to this region,” President Obama said during a speech in Australia in November.

“As we plan and budget for the future, we will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region. We will preserve our unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace. We will keep our commitments, including our treaty obligations to allies like Australia. And we will constantly strengthen our capabilities to meet the needs of the 21st century. Our enduring interests in the region demand our enduring presence in the region. The United States is a Pacific power, and we are here to stay,” President Obama said.

Multilateral collaboration in Hawaii

Delegates from Australia and Japan will join the United States for a two-day Workshop on Trilateral Collaboration to be held in Honolulu on Feb. 7 and 8.

The topical focus of the workshop is on developing/clarifying ways to enhance tri-lateral security collaboration/cooperation through presentations, small group discussions and plenary integration sessions. In addition to developing common understanding of what the three nations are prioritizing in the realm of trilateralism, each nation will be provided an opportunity to present for discussion one specific issue that it feels particularly important for the three nations.

The desired outcome of the workshop will be a set of recommendations on next steps needed to enhance collaboration on select issues of mutual concern for the participants to take back to their governments for consideration. This workshop offers an additional venue for further developing the working relationship, trust and confidence among key policy staff members responsible for fostering cooperation on those key issues.

Allies see longstanding ties strengthened

Australia and Japan have been America’s main allies in maintaining Pacific Rim security since after World War II. Recent developments in global trade patterns and other issues have revived and strengthened these longstanding ties. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has established an especially strong personal relationship with President Obama.

But Gillard is certainly not turning her back on Asia, a strategic priority for Labour prime ministers since the days of Gough Whitlam 40 years ago. Japan is second only to China as a customer for Australia’s valuable minerals and raw materials. Australia has also been strengthening its ties to India to maintain security in the Indian Ocean.

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda also is working to broaden ties with Washington and other Pacific Rim nations. Noda is moving toward including Japan in the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations for a new multilateral free trade agreement with Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, the United States, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand and Peru.

Japan announced December 27 it was lifting its decades-old ban on exporting weapons to other countries. The move was immediately followed by a $15 billion currency swap agreement with India, which has become the world’s greatest arms importer.

Analysts say the lifting of the weapons export ban clears the way for China to sell weapons and warships to India, Australia and possibly the Philippines. It could mark a major step toward increased defense cooperation among these nations.

India, Japan focus on partnership

Since 2006, India and Japan have been carrying out a series of joint naval exercises. Both countries also maintain good relations with China, but they are also potentially natural partners in the both the economic and security spheres.

India cannot effectively project power east of Malacca Strait and would hesitate to do so for fear of alarming China. Japan lacks the resources to build any aircraft carrier or submarine force to project its power into the Indian Ocean, and does not want to do so anyway because of its continuing strong anti-militarist tradition since after World War II.

But more than 80 percent of Japan’s energy imports come by sea through the Indian Ocean from the Middle East and Japan wants to encourage the United States and India to continue to project their power in the region.

India is building a three aircraft carrier navy and its growing power projection capabilities in the Indian Ocean, its own back yard, make it an increasingly attractive partner for both the United States and Japan, as well as for Australia.

India workshop focuses on shared maritime interests

Simultaneously with the Honolulu gathering, India is hosting in Mumbai, its largest port and city, a bilateral workshop with the United States on Securing the Maritime Commons [or common interests] in the Indian Ocean and on exploring U.S., Indian cooperation from Feb. 7 through Feb. 9.

Participants in this workshop will identify and prioritize maritime security challenges including trade transit, critical infrastructure, freedom and safety of navigation, resource security, piracy and transnational crime, and explore opportunities for cooperation in dealing with these problems.

The aim of the gathering is to prepare consensus-based workshop findings for participants to share with appropriate senior officials. This meeting is envisioned as the first in a series of discussions hosted by the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies [APCSS] involving the United States and India on themes related to the maritime commons of the wider Indo-Pacific region.

The choice of Mumbai for the meeting carries a strong message. In November 2008, India’s vulnerability to terrorism was dramatically demonstrated when a handful of Islamist extremists landed from the sea and killed 174 people in six attacks in Mumbai. Since then, India has worked to strengthen deficiencies in its rapid response capabilities, including purchasing six U.S. Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft that can land at small airports across India while carrying personnel and heavy equipment. However, three bomb attacks in Mumbai in July 2011 killed another 21 people, highlighting the continuing vulnerability of large cities in the sub-continent to such attacks.

The broad spectrum and complex nature of the security threats facing Pacific Rim and Asian nations in their security, trade and maritime communications requires an increased level of multilateral cooperation and international security and defense coordination. The upcoming workshops in Honolulu and Mumbai confirm the necessity of this growing trend toward transnational teamwork.