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1 1 (July 25, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/goveimt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic Informing the IegisIative debate sinco 1914 Updated July 25, 2022 The Quad: Security Cooperation Among the United States, Japan, India, and Australia Overvi ew 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. A September 2021 Quad Leaders' Summit produced an expanded statement outlining 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 beyond traditional security, but concerns about China's growing influence and military assertiveness appear to undergird the initiative's motives. The most recent (May 2022) joint statement does not explicitly reference China, but reiterates the Quad's commitment to uphold the international rules-based order where countries are free from all forms of military, economic and political coercion. An accompanying fact sheet notes establishment of a new Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, and lays out numerous Quad initiatives on climate, emerging technologies, cybersecurity, space, and infrastructure, among others. The Biden Administration in May also launched a new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity that includes the four Quad members and nine other regional states. 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. Revitalization of the group began in 2017 and has accelerated since 2020, bringing similar accusations from Beijing, and crystallizing the geopolitical and economic risks for Quad members. China is among the top three trading partners for all four countries, and each is 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 with or complement other regional groupings? Will it remain limited to the four countries or open its membership to other countries? Is it durable in the face of leadership changes in member countries? 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 Annual Malabar joint naval exercises are a leading demonstration of 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. U.S. Defense officials say Malabar 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 this a particularly 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 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 exercise, which includes all four countries. As U.S. treaty allies, Australia and Japan regularly hold large-scale exercises with the U.S. military. Critickms of the Quad Critics point to the Quad's inability to speak with one voice on regional issues, the absence of collaborative democracy promotion efforts, a dearth of joint military operations, and a lack of institutional structure as limits on its effectiveness. India and Australia have in the past expressed wariness of provoking China. 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 criticism from Beijing.

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