Washington, Nov 20
Having helped stitch together a patchwork of security groups like AUKUS, the Quad and the Squad - that together act as a loose architecture to deter China's advances - in the last 10 years, the US administration's decision to move ahead with AUKUS suggests that President Donald Trump continues to recognise the significance of the Indo-Pacific, a report cited on Thursday.
The three security groups had faced scrutiny under Trump administration, sparking concerns in Australia, Japan, India and Philippines. Trump's recent meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese brought a major relief as the US President said that his administration will press ahead with US' commitment to provide Australia with armed, nuclear-powered submarines under AUKUS, India Narrative reported.
"The decision ends months of speculation that the pact would be shelved or gutted. But if the administration thinks that delivering submarines settles America’s Indo-Pacific strategy, it misunderstands the region’s evolving security demands. When the White House announced earlier this year that AUKUS was 'under review', many observers saw the move as a bellwether for a potential US drawdown, wrote Indian policy analyst and Asia expert Somen Chatterjee.
The US administration's decision to put all three groups under scrutiny at once suggested not strategic flexibility but strategic drift. AUKUS is the backbone of long-term allied military deterrence in the Indo-Pacific and serves two core purposes - providing nuclear-powered submarines capable of operating undetected for months to Australia and accelerating shared technological innovation in sectors like cyber, AI, and undersea warfare, according to the report. These are precisely the capabilities required to counter China’s naval expansion and gray-zone tactics.
"The good news is that Trump ultimately sided with the strategic logic of AUKUS over the temptation to treat allies like mere customers in a transactional geopolitical marketplace. But reviving AUKUS should be seen as the beginning, not the culmination, of a coherent Indo-Pacific strategy," the report mentioned.
As AUKUS appears to be stabilising now, the real challenge remains getting the Quad back on track and reviving the faltering Squad, it added. The Quad - comprising India, US, Japan and Australia - is more than a naval coordination mechanism and it has, over the years, become region's multifaceted platform. However, its future lies on ties between India and the US. Mending US' ties with India will be essential if Trump wants to keep AUKUS from unraveling.
"The Indo-Pacific is not waiting for Washington to get its bearings. China is testing red lines. Allies are hedging. Nations from Vietnam to South Korea are recalculating how much they can depend on the United States. The administration’s decision to press ahead with AUKUS suggests Trump recognises the Indo-Pacific’s significance. But reviving one pillar is not enough. The US must invest political capital in restoring the Quad’s momentum and finally operationalizing the squad," wrote Chatterjee.
"AUKUS offers Australia submarines. But the Quad offers governance. The Squad offers frontline deterrence. Only together do they offer strategy. America’s 'America First' era can still be compatible with an Indo-Pacific that remains free, open, and governed by rules rather than coercion. But that requires more than reviewing alliances — it requires using them," he added.
- IANS
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