The United States, Japan ,and Australia will work together to create a joint air defense network, President Joe Biden announced alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in the Rose Garden on Wednesday afternoon.
Biden described the new initiatives as “significant steps to strengthen defense security cooperation,” and said the trio of allies will be “modernizing command and control structures. And we’re increasing the interoperability and planning of our militaries so they can work together in a seamless and effective way.”
They will create “a network of air, missile, and defense architecture,” Biden said, also adding that AUKUS — the U.S. alliance with Australia and the United Kingdom — is “exploring” ways for Japan to join their partnerships.
The U.S. is also looking to stand up a trilateral military exercise with Japan and the U.K., the president noted.
The president called this “the most significant upgrade in our alliance since it was first established.” He also described the U.S. alliance with Japan as “purely defensive in nature,” and said, “It’s not aimed at any one nation or a threat in the region. And it doesn’t have anything to do with conflict. And so this is about restoring stability in the region.”
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters last week defense leaders “certainly look forward to the opportunity to talk with our Japanese allies and further bolster our cooperation and our relationship as one of our most pivotal allies in the region,” and he added, “our main focus is on working together to ensure that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, it remains open, and that there’s security and stability throughout the region.”
Despite Biden’s comments, the U.S. has sought to strengthen its military and diplomatic relations with allies in the Pacific region due to China’s continued military modernization and aggression. The Pentagon considers the Chinese Communist Party to be its “pacing challenge,” and believes they are the only U.S. adversary with the desire and capability to transform the world order in their favor.
The Chinese military continues to carry out aggressive maneuvers in the South China Sea toward other countries’ vessels.
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Biden recently spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two leaders have some issues they work on together, even as they are adversarial on many other topics. The president said on Wednesday that he and Xi agreed that they would talk with one another whenever one of them wanted to discuss anything in order to avoid a miscalculation or misunderstanding.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will join Biden and Kishida for a three-way summit on Thursday.