According to US media reports, at the beginning of the new year, the US Department of Defense threw out a "summary of Indo-Pacific work" in 2023 - the Department of Defense ended a "decisive year" in the Indo-Pacific region. Throughout 2023, the United States has been working with allies and partners to achieve breakthrough achievements for peace, stability, and deterrence in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, as Secretary Austin said, "In this decisive decade, 2023 will be remembered as a decisive year for the implementation of the U.S. Defense Strategy for Asia." ”
The summary is divided into 3 parts:
OneTransforming America's regional power postureIn 2023, the United States, along with allies and partners, made historic achievements to make the U.S. military posture in the Indo-Pacific region more mobile, dispersed, resilient, and deadly, including:
1. Dispatch key U.S. units to Japan's forward line, including the U.S. Marine Corps' most advanced formation, a U.S. Marine Corps Littoral Regiment, and a U.S. Army Marine Unit, to significantly enhance operational credible deterrence.
2. Launched a series of new force posture plans with Australia, including more and longer expeditionary visits by U.S. submarines in response to AUKUS (an alliance of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, or the Australian-British-American Alliance), increased rotation of U.S. bombers and fighter jets, expanded cooperation with maritime and ground forces, enhanced space and logistics cooperation, continued upgrades to key bases, and the establishment of a submarine rotation force in Australia-West by 2027.
3. Expand U.S. rotational access in the Philippines by designating four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) locations in strategic locations, which will enhance interoperability between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces and enable both countries to address shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
4. Conclude a defense cooperation agreement with Papua New Guinea, which builds on decades of bilateral defense and security cooperation, strengthens relations between the two countries, and enhances regional stability and security.
5. Strengthen deterrence and increase the rotation of strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula, including the first U.S. SSBN (Strategic Ballistic Missile Submarine) to dock at South Korea** (South Korea) in more than 40 years, and the first landing of a U.S. nuclear-capable B-52 (strategic bomber) on the Korean Peninsula since 1988.
IIA historic investment in capacityThe United States is currently deploying sophisticated military capabilities, developing the capabilities needed to maintain deterrence in the Indo-Pacific in the future, and supporting allies and partners to invest in their own capabilities by:
1. Released the most strategically driven defense budget in the history of the Department of Defense, including $170 billion in procurement to boost air, sea, and land forces;$145 billion for research, development, testing and evaluation;and $9.1 billion in the Pacific Deterrence Initiative – more than ever before.
2. Declare the best way for Australia to acquire conventionally armed nuclear-powered submarine capabilities through AUKUS.
3. Support Japan's decision to acquire new capabilities to enhance regional deterrence, including homeland and acquisition of counterattack capabilities, such as Tomahawk land-attack missiles, and Tokyo's decision to double its defense budget over the next five years and develop its research, testing, and defense industry expertise to promote regional peace and stability.
4. Advance cooperation with Australia's defense industrial base, including agreeing to develop capabilities for the joint production of guided multiple launch rocket systems (GMLRS) by 2025, announcing the AUKUS Innovation Challenge with a focus on electronic warfare, and launching a new series of autonomous maritime experiments and exercises through AUKUS.
5. Support India's defense modernization program, including advancing the priorities outlined in the U.S.-India Defense Industry Cooperation Roadmap, co-producing fighter engines and Stryker armored vehicles, and launching the Indo-American Defense Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) to foster partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
IIIAdvancing a shared regional visionThe United States is working with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region to strengthen peace and security in the region, including through unprecedented cooperation. Key examples include:
1. Japan and South Korea, following this year's historic Camp David summit, are working together more deeply than ever before. In December, the three countries achieved two key goals of the summit — a multi-year plan for trilateral exercises and the full launch of a real-time data-sharing mechanism for North Korea's missile warnings.
2. Australia and Japan, strengthen cooperation through participation in bilateral and trilateral exercises, and include Japan in the existing U.S.-Australia military posture plan.
3. India, modernize the scope of our military activities, including the inclusion of advanced fighter jets and strategic bombers in our exercises, which strengthens interoperability and highlights joint efforts to promote stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
4. The Philippines has released the first-ever bilateral defense guidelines for the U.S.-Philippines alliance, which outlines a vision for defense cooperation in all areas.
5. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including support for the integration of women, peace and security principles into regional security planning and operations through capacity-building programs and training courses, and an emerging leader fellowship program for young civilian and defense leaders in the Indo-Pacific region.
6. Invest more than $1.2 billion in the Indo-Pacific Security Cooperation Program, one of the largest in U.S. history, to strengthen the capabilities and capabilities of Indo-Pacific partners, maritime domain awareness, and resilience to coercion.
7. Balikatan was held with the Philippines, with more than 17,600 service personnel from the Philippines, Australia and the United States participating, and for the first time showcased littoral live firing and cyber defense elements to support deeper interoperability.
8. The Philippines "Thunder Confrontation" Cope Thunder exercise, which is the first time to return to the Philippines in more than 30 years, features the participation of fifth-generation fighters.
9. Indonesia and more than a dozen countries participated in Super Eagle Shield, and more than 4,000 service members participated in amphibious and airborne combat training, command and control simulations, academic exchanges, and professional development exercises.
10. The Malabar exercise with India, Japan and Australia, which was held in Australia for the first time this year, is conducive to high-end training in anti-submarine exercises, communications and air defense.
11. Pacific Pioneer with South Korea, Japan and Australia strengthened maritime interoperability by bringing together more than 2,000 naval forces from the United States and its three closest allies.
As we can see, this annual summary does not mention China at all, but in fact it is directed at China. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made it abundantly clear that the Indo-Pacific region "is the key to an open, secure, and prosperous world" and that "the pace challenge facing the U.S. Department of Defense is an increasingly assertive China that is trying to reshape the region and the international system to suit its preferences." He said working with allies and partners in the region is the best way to defend the rules-based architecture and deter aggression, "We are learning from Ukraine and further strengthening the self-defense capabilities of our Indo-Pacific partners, and we are helping them become more agile and resilient," and "We are working to build an open, secure future that promotes our common interests and shared values." ”
The author is a special researcher of Kunlunce Research Institute, and the original publication of Kunlunce Research Institute).