Austin Discusses Need for Indo-Pacific Partnerships in the Future > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News
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While Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke of the need for partnerships to fight COVID-19, he also said those relationships are also necessary to create a stronger, more prosperous Indo-Pacific for the future – one where no nation can calls shots.
In his speech in Singapore as part of the Fullerton Lecture Series sponsored by the International Institute of Strategic Studies, Austin emphasized that the United States is a trusted partner for the nations of Southeast Asia and that the United States has detailed American environmental thinking in this strategic region.
Austin stressed that US efforts in the Indo-Pacific will be a holistic government approach, with the DOD working with State Department diplomats, economists and others. “The Department of Defense will be here to give American diplomats the resolve and confidence to prevent conflict in the first place,” Austin said in his speech. ” As I said, it is always better to put out embers than try to put out a fire. ”
This is about deterrence, but it is about deterrence in many forms. Austin has called this “integrated deterrence” and explained the strategy in more detail in Singapore.
“For decades we have maintained the skills, presence and relationships necessary to stave off conflict and maintain the stability that is at the heart of our mutual prosperity,” he said. “But emerging threats and cutting edge technology are changing the face and pace of warfare. So we are working under a new vision of the 21st century that I call “integrated deterrence”.
We have long endeavored to make space for the Indo-Pacific countries to achieve their highest goals and to protect the rights of their citizens. And these collaborative efforts with our friends are based on more than just overlapping interests. They draw strength from common principles. ”
Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense
This concept means using every military and non-military instrument in lockstep with allies and partners. “Integrated deterrence is about leveraging existing capabilities and building new ones, and deploying them all in new and connected ways – all tailored to a region’s security landscape and in growing partnership with our friends,” he said.
Austin said partnership is key. “Together we want to coordinate better, network more closely and innovate faster,” said the secretary. “ And we are working to ensure that our allies and partners have the skills, capacity and information they need. ”
Integrated deterrence encompasses all areas, including the new areas of space and cyberspace.
U.S. Defense officials work with Singaporean leaders to collaborate on cyber defense. Singapore has decided to invest in the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. All of these contribute to an integrated defense across a spectrum of conflicts, Austin said.
This includes deterrence in the “gray area”, in which the rights and livelihoods of people in Southeast Asia come under pressure. “That is why we are working to strengthen local capacities and raise awareness of the maritime domain so that nations can better protect their sovereignty as well as fishing rights and the energy resources granted to them by international law,” he said.
This also includes improving interoperability. Austin emphasized the need for complex and challenging exercises in all areas to strengthen the partnership. He is particularly pleased with the increase in multilateral exercises and links between the nations of the region.
Other nations outside the region – such as the UK, the Netherlands, France – are also cooperating, and he referred to the British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which now operates in the region.
These partnerships are vital, he said. The United States is an Indo-Pacific nation and has vital interests that are best served by a stable, open, and prosperous region. “Our strategic partnerships can bring us all closer to the historic common project of a free and open Pacific – in peace with itself and with the world – a stronger, more stable regional order in which countries settle disputes amicably and all rights of all are upheld by their citizens’ ‘said the secretary.
Austin said the United States is working to strengthen long-standing alliances and create new partnerships. The United States also works closely with regional and multilateral organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Quad – a group that includes India, Australia, Japan, and the United States. This also includes the work of the United Nations Security Council.
“We have long tried to make room for the Indo-Pacific countries to achieve their highest goals and protect the rights of their citizens,” said Austin. “ And these joint efforts with our friends are based on more than just overlapping interests. They draw strength from common principles. ”
Well, these differences and disputes are real. But the way you manage them matters. We will not shrink back when our interests are threatened. However, we are not looking for a confrontation. ”
Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense
These common principles include belief in national sovereignty and the right of countries and peoples to make their own decisions. It is the belief in the rule of law and freedom of the seas. It’s a commitment to human rights and dignity, and it’s an insistence that disputes be resolved peacefully, Austin said.
“Yet this region has seen actions that are simply inconsistent with these common principles,” said the secretary. “Beijing’s claim to most of the South China Sea has no basis in international law. This claim affects the sovereignty of the states in the region. We continue to support the coastal states in the region in safeguarding their rights under international law. And we remain committed to our contractual obligations to Japan in the Senkaku Islands and to the Philippines in the South China Sea. ”
China is aggressive against India, it threatens the people of Taiwan. She is committing crimes against her own citizens, the Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
“Well, these differences and disputes are real,” Austin said. “But the way you manage it matters. We will not shrink back when our interests are threatened. However, we are not looking for a confrontation.
“So let me be clear: As secretary, I am committed to a constructive and stable relationship with China – including stronger crisis communication with the People’s Liberation Army,” he said. “You know, great powers need to model transparency and communication, and we hope we can work with Beijing on common challenges, particularly the threat of climate change.”
Austin said that even in this great power contest, the United States is not asking the nations of Southeast Asia to choose which side. The United States will work with like-minded states and work with regional organizations to encourage all nations to work together.
The US will continue to work with ASEAN – an organization that gives every nation a voice. “I personally say that I am proud that my predecessors and I attended every single meeting of the ASEAN Defense Ministers-Plus – a place that is becoming increasingly important to the security architecture of the region,” he said.
“Even in difficult times, our democracy is a powerful engine for its own renewal,” said Austin. “We have started an ambitious program to achieve better reconstruction after the pandemic. President Biden likes to tell the leaders he meets that “betting against America has never, ever, never been a good bet.”
Austin said the alliances in the Indo-Pacific region are an unmatched and unrivaled source of strength and security. ” Our countries share the coasts of the Pacific, but we also share an understanding of the power of partnership. ”
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