New Delhi: With mounting global concerns over China's growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin has underlined India's growing military capability and technological prowess that can be a stabilising force in the Indo-Pacific region. He also pointed out the role of the other partner countries for peace in the region, which he described as a 'priority theatre,' for Washington.
Speaking at the Shangrila Dialogue in Singapore, Austin explained that the new capabilities combined with U.S. presence and partnerships mean integrated deterrence for the region. This benefits treaty allies and partners. In this, he specifically mentioned India. "We believe that [India's] growing military capability and technological prowess can be a stabilizing force in the region," he said.
Expanding the network is important, and the U.S. is working to bring its partnership with Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam to the next level. "In the past year, my belief in the strategic power of partnerships has only deepened," he said. "And that's at the heart of the President's Indo-Pacific Strategy. Our work together helps ensure that all countries in the region — large and small — have a say in its future. "
"It helps ensure that the status quo can't be disrupted in ways that harm all of our security. And it helps strengthen our ability to find common solutions to common challenges." he said.
The U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific is at the heart of American national security strategies, and the power of the partnerships that regional nations have built with the United States forms the core for a peaceful and prosperous world for all, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in remarks during a major speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
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He noted that American strategists no longer talk about the "U.S. pivot to Asia. "On the military side, Austin noted that the Indo-Pacific is Washington's "priority theatre" with more than 300,000 American service members in the region working with allies and partners to ensure the rules-based international order is maintained. During his speech, Austin emphasized partnerships. He has noted that U.S. partnerships with Indo-Pacific nations have grown and matured. "We've moved together toward our shared vision for the region," he said.
"The journey that we've made together in the past year only underscores a basic truth: In today’s interwoven world, we're stronger when we find ways to come together", added Austin. The United States works with treaty allies Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines. America also works closely with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue group alongside India, Japan and Australia.
"We know that most countries across the Indo-Pacific share a common vision, and our people share common dreams," Austin said. Underpinning this is the belief in a free and open order based on the rule of law. "That means a shared belief in transparency," Austin said. "It means a dedication to openness and accountability. It means a commitment to freedom of the seas, skies, and space. And it means an insistence that disputes be resolved peacefully."
The idea is a region free from bullying and of countries seeking spheres of influence. Ultimately, the idea is a region that respects human rights and dignity "and a world in which all countries — large and small — are free to thrive and to lawfully pursue their interests, free from coercion and intimidation," the secretary said. The Indo-Pacific is at the heart of this interconnected world and events halfway around the world resonate throughout the region.
Austin specifically pointed to the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia as one of those events. The secretary said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's "reckless war of choice has reminded us all of the dangers of undercutting an international order rooted in rules and respect. "The reverberations of the war in Ukraine carry to the Indo-Pacific. "The Ukraine crisis poses some urgent questions for us all: Do rules matter? Does sovereignty matter? Does the system that we have built together matter?" he said.
"I am here because I believe that it does. And I am here because the rules-based international order matters just as much in the Indo-Pacific as it does in Europe." said Austin. Others in the region share that sentiment and Pacific nations like Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand have rushed security assistance to Ukraine.
"It's why countries across this region have sped humanitarian aid to the suffering Ukrainian people, including vital contributions from Singapore, Thailand, India and Vietnam," he said. He stressed that Partnership in the region needs the flexibility to work.
"More and more, we're working in new, flexible and custom-made ways with our friends, and our partners are doing the same thing with one another — even as we strengthen our commitment to ASEAN's centrality and its leading place in the regional architecture," he said. An example of this is the new Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, which President Biden announced in Tokyo last month.
"This important initiative aims to provide better access to space-based, maritime domain awareness to countries across the region — including here in Southeast Asia," Austin said. "This new partnership will harness together regional information centres. That'll help us build a common operating picture and work together to tackle illegal fishing and other grey-zone activities", he explained.
But diplomacy is the first choice, he said. "We remain open to future diplomacy — and fully prepared to deter and defeat future aggression," the secretary said. "We'll also continue to stand by our friends as they uphold their rights. That's especially important as the [Peoples Republic of China] adopts a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims."
He underlined that China needs to act accordingly. "We're seeing growing coercion from Beijing," he said. "We've witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan. We remain focused on maintaining peace, stability, and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. But the [People’s Republic of China’s] moves threaten to undermine security, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.
That's crucial for this region, and it's crucial for the wider world. Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait isn't just a U.S. interest. It's a matter of international concern. "The United States does not want conflict or confrontation, he said. The U.S. does not want a new Cold War or a region split into hostile blocs. "We'll defend our interests without flinching," Austin said. (PTI)
