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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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