June 13, 2016

Security Cooperation: The Key to Access and Influence in the Asia-Pacific

In this paper, BowerGroupAsia Senior Director Desmond Walton examines the increasing value returned by the development of strategic networks of regional military relationships by the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific. After defining security cooperation and enumerating the advantages in such interactions both for the United States and our regional partners, Walton observes the three tiers of the ‘access equation’ and highlights the necessity of a continued security commitment to the region. As a case study, Walton points to Secretary Carter’s Maritime Security Initiative as a likely success in interagency cooperation that signals continued commitment to the region while simultaneously providing tangible benefits in partner capabilities.

The report is available online.

Download PDF

Author

  • Des Walton

  • Reports
    • June 18, 2025
    Quad: The Next Phase

    Executive Summary The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) among the United States, Australia, India, and Japan is becoming the focal point for economic and technological co...

    By Lisa Curtis, Kareen Hart, Ryan Claffey, Keerthi Martyn & Thomas Corel

  • Commentary
    • War on the Rocks
    • June 18, 2025
    America’s Middle East Trap is China’s Strategic Windfall

    China’s approach to any escalation in the Middle East reflects its broader strategy of free-riding on U.S. security commitments....

    By Adham Sahloul

  • Video
    • June 13, 2025
    U.S.-Japan Relations Under the Trump Administration 2.0

    In this thought-provoking discussion, Richard Fontaine, CEO of CNAS and co-author of “Lost Decade”; and Ken Jimbo, president of Asia Pacific Initiative at the International Ho...

    By Richard Fontaine

  • Video
    • June 6, 2025
    U.S.-India Trade Talks Show Progress, but Major Hurdles Remain, Says Strategist

    Rachel Ziemba, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, says the U.S. and India are making progress toward a trade deal, driven by shared geostrategic ...

    By Rachel Ziemba

View All Reports View All Articles & Multimedia