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1 1 (May 16, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govehnf0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service graffaeInforrning the legislative debate since 1914 S Updated May 16, 2022 The Quad: Security Cooperation Among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia Overview The Biden Administration has boosted the profile of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, aka the Quad, as a centerpiece of its Indo-Pacific strategy aimed at strengthening the United States' position in and commitment to the region. The four-country coalition, comprised of the United States, Japan, India, and Australia, claims a common platform of protecting freedom of navigation and promoting democratic values in the region. The first leader-level summit, held virtually in March 2021, produced the first-ever joint leaders' statement. In September 2021, the four leaders met in person and released an expanded statement that outlined four broad areas of cooperation: vaccine production and distribution; climate change mitigation efforts and clean energy development; the promotion of transparency and high- standard governance in the field of critical and emerging technologies; and the development of a regional infrastructure partnership. Working groups in these areas are pushing forward with efforts to flesh out these priorities. Since Biden took office, the Quad has focused on areas outside of hard security, but concerns about China's growing influence and military assertiveness appears to underlie motivations for the framework. The September 2021 joint statement-while not explicitly referencing China-addressed the concern, reading, we recommit to promoting the free, open, rules-based order, rooted in international law and undaunted by coercion, to bolster security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. When the partners first held a series of Quad meetings in 2007, China denounced them as an attempt to encircle it. The effort dissipated amidst member leadership transitions, concerns about economic repercussions from China, and attention to other national interests. The effort to revitalize the group, begun in 2017 and accelerated since 2020, is bringing similar accusations from Beijing, crystallizing the geopolitical and economic risks for the Quad partners. China is among the top three trading partners for all four countries, which are reliant on Chinese supply chains. For Japan, Australia, and India, alarm about China's intentions may be coupled with a perception that U.S. influence in the region is waning. Tokyo, Canberra, and New Delhi may be motivated to promote the Quad as a way to keep America engaged in the region. Questions remain about how the Quad defines itself and its goals. Will the partners maintain Quad cohesiveness despite their different responses to the war in Ukraine or other geopolitical shifts? Does it compete or complement other regional groupings? Will it remain limited to the four countries, or open its membership to other countries? Is it durable as a framework even in the face of leadership changes in member countries? Will India remain committed to the group? Can the Quad be effective without a strong economic pillar to counter China's dominance in regional trade agreements? These questions may be of critical importance to Congress given its oversight responsibilities, interest in security alliances, and growing concern about China's power and influence in the Indo-Pacific. Security Cooperation The annual Malabar naval exercises have emerged as a platform for Quad security cooperation. The exercises, originally bilateral between the United States and India, later added Japan as a permanent member in 2015, and since 2020 have included Australia as well. U.S. Defense officials say the exercise could be a potent war-fighting exercise that deepens trust and interoperability among the four militaries in the air and sea domains. All four militaries operate compatible anti-submarine warfare systems, making that a promising area of cooperation. In addition to Malabar, Quad countries are increasing bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral exercises with one another that may accelerate the ability of the four countries to build integrated capabilities. Examples of these exercises include but are not limited to the India-Australia biennial AUSINDEX naval exercise, the Japan-India JIMEX exercise in the North Arabian Sea, and the large multilateral biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maritime warfare exercise, which includes all four countries. As U.S. treaty allies, Australia and Japan regularly hold large-scale exercises with the U.S. military. Criticisms of the Quad Critics have pointed to questions about the group's inability to speak with one voice on regional issues, absence of collaborative democracy promotion efforts, dearth of joint military operations, and lack of institutional structure as limits on its effectiveness. In the past, India and Australia have expressed wariness of provoking China and cornering it into a defensive posture. Despite Japan's acute sense of threat from China, it has looked to stabilize relations with Beijing. All three may be hard-pressed to maintain a balance between advancing Quad cooperation and maintaining ties to China, given that further Quad-based initiatives are likely to come under more withering criticism from Beijing. The exclusion of other regional countries and the potential marginalization of traditional bilateral alliances also draws criticism. U.S. treaty ally South Korea is not in the Quad, despite being a democracy with maritime interests and https://crsreports.congress.go

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