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Research & Analysis
Averting a Proliferation Cascade: The U.S.-Australia Alliance and Strategic Deterrence
Nuclear weapons, long a feature of Australia’s strategic environment, are taking on new geopolitical salience across the globe. The emerging status quo is one in which there are few limitations on the major powers’ nuclear arsenals. Vertical proliferation is virtually assured and horizontal proliferation is a real risk. Should the U.S. nuclear umbrella become less credible as the Chinese and Russian nuclear arsenals advance, Indo-Pacific countries, including Australia, will perceive growing incentives—or pressures—to develop their own nuclear weapons programs. Those pressures can be averted. Although the United States alone sets its nuclear strategy, nuclear force structure, and nuclear force posture, Australia and the United States can build on longstanding strategic deterrence cooperation in ways that enhance each country’s security and mitigate proliferation pressures. Unilateral Australian policies can likewise contribute to strategic deterrence. To maintain a stable nuclear balance and a credible American nuclear umbrella, Indo-Pacific allies like Australia will have to step up in new and innovative ways.
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Nuclear Escalation Control in a Taiwan Strait Crisis
The rapid modernization of China’s military has raised concerns about the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC, China) ability to threaten Taiwan and the wider Indo-Pacific region. In light of the growing urgency of the China threat, the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security partnered with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and the Prospect Foundation to conduct a tabletop exercise that explores whether Japan, the United States, and Taiwan are prepared for a crisis that may be coming down the pike. Centered on a series of fictional and escalatory gray zone activities and nuclear signaling taking place in 2028, the exercise was designed to develop mutual understandings of views on Chinese threats in the Taiwan Strait among experienced Japan, U.S., and Taiwan national security practitioners.
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Space for the Indo-Pacific: Elevating South Korea’s Role in the Regional Space Ecosystem
Space has emerged as an indispensable domain of national power, underpinning nearly every aspect of modern military and economic activity. No longer primarily associated with exploration, scientific pursuits, or symbolic prestige, space has become central to national security and global leadership. Against this backdrop, the Republic of Korea stands at a critical inflection point. Geographically located at the center of the Indo-Pacific’s most contested security dynamics and technologically advanced across space, missile defense, and information systems, South Korea is uniquely positioned to serve as an essential partner for U.S. space operations.
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Enduring Legacies: World War II and the Indo-Pacific
On September 2, 1945, Imperial Japan surrendered to the Allied forces, bringing an end to years of bloody conflict. Eighty years later, the war’s imprint on the international order persists, shaping the interactions of regional powers to this day. Whether it is the connections forged among allies and former adversaries, the troubled legacies of colonial rule, or the inspiring potential of space exploration, this collection brings together prominent and emerging regional scholars to reflect on the threads connecting WWII to today’s Indo-Pacific landscape.
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Evolving Partnerships: U.S. Alliances and the Pacific Islands
With the Pacific Island countries playing an outsized role in the competition with China, the United States and its allies need to adjust their foreign assistance strategies to create more meaningful, enduring, and sustainable partnerships.
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Researcher Spotlight
Randall G. Schriver
Chairman of the Board of Directors
The Honorable Randall G. Schriver is founder and Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Indo-Pacific Security. He was a founder of the Project 2049 Institute and previously served as its President and CEO.