Geopolitically, Russia's year-long attempts to annex Ukraine by invasion and China's threats to militarily annex Taiwan's merger with mainland China have spawned in 2023 deep fears from Europe to Indo Pacific of a disruptive push-back by world's largest combine of Communist Dictatorships.
Contextually, therefore, the recent tour of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenburg to Japan and South Korea in end-January 2023needs to be viewed in the above context.
Strategically significant is that NATO's strategic gaze and imprints which stood extended only up to involvement in Afghanistan in support of United States now portend that NATO is seized with extension of its strategic gaze to involvement in the security and stability of Indo Pacific, especially Japan and South Korea in Western Pacific.
Major European Powers have singly declared at international forums like the Shangri-la Dialogue that they have vital stakes in security and stability of Indo Pacific.
Recalling notably, both Japan and South Korea are Mutual Security Pact signatories with the United States. Earlier this security mosaic was tailored against the Soviet Threat.
With disintegration of Soviet Union and the exponential rise of Chinese military power in the first decade of this Century and its aggressive manifestations in the second decade in South China Sea to Japan and South Korea's backyards, the China Threat has emerged as a serious challenge to Japan and South Korea.
The China Threat to Japan and South Korea stands further amplified by China's proxy use of North Korea, nuclear armed courtesy China, for military coercion of these two US Allies.
North Korea is the 'Force Multiplier' of China against Japan and South Korea along with posing a threat to Homeland United States by its claimed nuclear-tipped IRB BMs
The Russian Invasion of Ukraine has spawned wider dimensions of security concerns beyond European Borders and has an over-arching impact on Indo Pacific Security, and more specifically on Japan and South Korea.
These wider strategic concerns stand generated by the fact that in recent years the Russia-China Strategic Nexus has crystallized deeper as in national security threat perceptions of both United States and Major European Powers, both Russia and China figure prominently.
China just a month before Russia's invasion of Ukraine had declared during Russian President Putin's visit to Beijing that the Russia-China strategic partnership had "No Limits" and further that it was much "More than an Alliance". It was an ominous assertion.
NATOs strategic outreach to Japan and South Korea was therefore a logical corollary arising from the reality that both Japan and South Korea ever after end of World War II in August 1945 have figured in United States security architecture as staunch Allies.
NATO's strategic outreach to Japan and South Korea was visible prominently from last year when both these nations were invited to attend the NATO Summit in Madrid which charted NATO's strategic blueprint for the 2030s.
Concluding, it needs to be highlighted that NATO both in extending its strategic reach to Indo Pacific and co-opting Japan and South Korea in more proximate security linkages, is in effect creating existential military counterweights in China's backyard as important pieces in overall containment of combined Russia-China Threats.
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