American, Australian, and Japanese Perspectives on a Changing Security Environment

Abstract

Objective: Respective bilateral ties between the United States and Australia and the United States and Japan have both enjoyed a long history of strong and cooperative relations. However, China’s rise has highlighted how insufficient these old security partnerships look in a shifting security environment. A more accurate assessment of Australian, U.S., and Japanese attitudes on this issue is therefore needed. This project will seek to provide that assessment by looking at how all three states approach current and future threat perceptions, concerns about strategic uncertainties and policy planning, and thinking on how to strengthen deterrence and extended deterrence. Findings from the project will highlight convergent and divergent views of the security environment, threats, uncertainties, and deterrence between the United States and its two closet Asian allies. This will foster greater understanding in the three countries’ security communities and raise awareness of security, deterrence, and proliferation issues outside the three countries.