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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

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