INDO PACIFIC SECURITY PERSPECTIVES : QUAD NEEDS STRATEGIC FOCUS ON SOUTHERN SEGMENTS OF PACIFIC & INDIAN OCEANS

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

QUAD NEEDS STRATEGIC FOCUS ON SOUTHERN SEGMENTS OF PACIFIC & INDIAN OCEANS

China's intrusive strategic forays in Southern Pacific Islands and the China-Russia-South Africa Joint Military Exercises should be a source of strategic concern to the QUAD Security Initiative Nations---United States, Japan, India and Australia.

The QUAD, which is basically with a maritime orientation, seems focused on the Northern segments of both Oceans of Indo Pacific with checkmating China, keeping it confined to the Western Pacific where most of its predatory maritime forays have occurred.

China over the last few years has been silently wooing South Pacific Islands in Australia's backyard with various economic inducements. Today China has marshalled considerable clout and presence in South Pacific.

China could achieve this as for many years Australia had Prime Ministers who were 'soft' on China and were oblivious to the strategic aims of China in South Pacific.

The China-Russia Axis, more pronounced post-Ukraine, has sprung into action lately to induce the strategically located Nation of South Africa, rich resources of strategic minerals into joining China and Russia in Joint Military Exercises.

In both cases the main aim of China and Rusia is to wean away QUAD's strategic focus from Western Pacific which is the Pacific littoral of China.

Of the two emerging threats, China's strategic intrusiveness is more potent as it has already established substantial linkages in South Pacific, including security cooperation, especially with Solomon Islands.

Russia-China-South Africa Joint Military Exercises presently need to be viewed as more of 'geopolitical signaling'. However, it is a trend -in -the making and has the potentials to emerge as a potent threat in Southern Indian Ocean which is Idia's strategic backyard.

QUAD therefore needs to pay added strategic focus to the Southern Segments of the Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean.

Concluding, QUAD could ponder over division of, or, added naval responsibilities to Australian Navy for Southern Pacific and Indian Navy for the Southern Indian Ocean.

As China gets more hemmed-in in Western Pacific it will be tempted to outflank QUAD's naval predominance on its Pacific littoral by strategic forays on Southern Segments of Pacific and Indian Oceans.

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Dr Subhash Kapila—Academic & Professional Profile

Dr Subhash Kapila is a Graduate of the Royal British Army Staff College.UK.: has a Masters in Defence Science from Madras University with his thesis on ‘India’s Foreign Policy in Far East Asia’ and a Doctorate from Allahabad University with his thesis in 1994 on ‘Asia Pacific Security-2000 AD Perspectives’.

Dr Subhash Kapila combines a rich and varied professional experience of Indian Army (Brigadier) in criteria appointments on Command, Staff and Instructional. Indian Army service encompassed long tenures on India’s borders with China and Pakistan.

Dr Subhash Kaila’s professional exposures also include diplomatic assignments in United States, Japan, South Korea and also official tenures in UK and Bhutan. These years of diplomatic and official assignments afforded deep insights on Asia Pacific security challenges and China-watching from different perches.

Dr Subhash Kapila has authored two books--- ‘China-India Military Confrontation:21^st Century Perspectives’ (2015) and an earlier one on India’s Defence Policies & Strategic Thought-A Comparative Analysis’ (2004)

Dr Subhash Kapila has authored over nearly 2000 Papers on Geopolitical, Foreign Policy and Strategic topics of Major Powers like USA, China, Japan and regional issues of South Asia, South East Asia and the Middle East.

Dr Subhash Kapila has presented Papers at international forums in Russia, Japan, Turkey and Vietnam and National and University Seminars in India.

Invited for TV/Radio discussions by CNN, BBC, Pakistan Geo TV and multiple Indian Channels.

INDO PACIFIC REGION—GEOPOLITICAL SIGNIFICANCE

“Indo Pacific Region encompassing the vast geographical expanse from West Coast of the United States to the Eastern Littoral of Africa on the Indian Ocean and Australia in South Pacific has emerged in recent years as a fulcrum of global security and stability.

Competing security narratives led by the United States and a reactive hardly credible narrative by China challenges foreign policy and security policies directions of Major Powers in the Indo Pacific comprising United States. India, Japan and Australia.

Needless to highlight as so many academic treatises have already done so that Indo Pacific Security Template as a strategic construct and narrative emerged so as a narrative in the last decade generated by fears of China’s not so benign intentions manifested from Himalayan Heights of China Occupied Tibet borders with India to the Western Pacific seas, and more pointedly to the South China Sea where China has indulged in military aggression ad coercive brinkmanship to establish “Full Spectrum Dominance” endangering Indo Pacific Security as a whole.”------------Dr Subhash Kaila’s earlier writings.

“The Indo Pacific has assumed tectonic significance for a wide range of nations affirming their agency in an uncertain world. Far from being an obscure account of of words and maps, the narratives of Indo Pacific nations hands a great dilemma of the 21^st Century: how can other countries respond to a strong and coercive China without resorting to capitulation or conflict.” –Professor Rory Metcalf, Australian National University.

“In this century, the Asia Pacific and the Indian Ocean Rim which some refer as the Indo Pacific will become the world’s centre of gravity.”---Australian Defence Minister