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US President Joe Biden has reaffirmed the US administration’s commitment to a free and open region on the two-year anniversary of Indo-Pacific Strategy.
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The Biden administration and US Department of Defense have undertaken a strategy of supporting Indo-Pacific allies and partners to invest in their own defence and security, since the strategy was released in February 2022.
The strategy encourages Indo-Pacific nations to help define the nature of the international order, as they have a stake in its outcomes.
“The future of each of our nations … and indeed the world, depends on a free and open Indo-Pacific enduring and flourishing in the decades ahead,” according to US President Biden.
In 2023, President Biden met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a trilateral summit at Camp David, as the country stepped up efforts to match near-peer rival, the People’s Republic of China.
The US Department of Defense also announced approval for a multi-year, trilateral exercise plan and real-time North Korean missile warning data-sharing mechanism in December last year.
America also accelerated integration between defence industrial sectors in the US and India to bolster India’s defence modernisation and co-produce fighter jet engines and armoured vehicles. The US conducted an uptick in cooperation with the Philippines under four new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites and more than $100 million in upgrades to existing EDCA sites.
Australia conducted extensive military exercises with the US and allies, delivering on key force posture initiatives, collaborating on increased rotations of bombers, fighters, US Army watercraft and troops. Shared bases were also upgraded and plans put into action for expanded maritime and ground forces cooperation, enhanced space and logistics cooperation.
“Since the release of the Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, the United States has taken historic strides to advance our shared vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient,” according to a US State Department spokesperson.
“The United States continues to demonstrate leadership and commitment to the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing the region’s capacity and resilience to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century and showing that we can build a better future together.
“Our accomplishments under the Indo-Pacific Strategy over the past two years reflect not only American leadership, but also an unprecedented level of cooperation with allies, partners, and friends across the region to tackle global challenges and protect our shared vision of the world in the face of heightened geopolitical challenges. Our work together to build collective capacity with allies, partners, and friends remains the bedrock of our approach to the region.
“But as our cooperation to advance our common values and interests has grown, so too have our challenges. We have seen the PRC become more repressive at home and more assertive abroad, undermining human rights and international law, and seeking to reshape the international order. We have seen the DPRK continue to expand its unlawful nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The impacts of climate change pose an existential threat to small island states. In the face of so many challenges, we remain guided by our affirmative vision under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, deepening our cooperation and collaboration to advance regional capacity, shared prosperity, and steady progress.”
