Intensifying geopolitical rivalries, rising defence spending and the proliferation of the latest military technology across Asia suggest that the region is set for a prolonged period of strategic contestation. None of the three competing visions for the future of Asian order – a US-led ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’, a Chinese-centred order, or the ASEAN-inspired ‘Indo-Pacific Outlook’ – is likely to prevail in the short to medium term. In the absence of a new framework, the risk of open conflict is heightened, and along with it the need for effective mechanisms to maintain peace and stability. As Asia’s leaders seek to rebuild their economies and societies in the wake of COVID-19, they would do well to reflect upon the lessons offered by the pandemic and their applicability in the strategic realm. The societies that have navigated the crisis most effectively have been able to do so by putting in place stringent protective measures. Crisis-management and -avoidance mechanisms – and even, in the longer term, wider arms control – can be seen as the strategic equivalent of such measures, and as such they should be pursued with urgency in Asia to reduce the risks of an even greater calamity.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2021 provides insight into key regional strategic, geopolitical, economic, military and security topics. Among the topics explored are: US−China decoupling and its regional security implications; Japan’s security policy and China; India’s emerging grand strategy; Southeast Asia amid rising great-power rivalry; Australia’s new regional security posture; NATO’s evolving approach to China; The United Kingdom’s ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific; and Emerging technologies and future conflict in the Asia-Pacific. Authors include leading regional analysts and academics Kanti Bajpai, Gordon Flake, Franz-Stefan Gady, Prashanth Parameswaran, Alessio Patalano, Samir Puri, Sarah Raine, Tan See Seng, Drew Thompson, Ashley Townshend, Joanne Wallis and Robert Ward.

IN THIS VOLUME: China Unleashes An “Indian Spring”!! - Lt Gen (Dr) JS Bajwa INDIAN DEFENCE REVIEW INTERVIEW Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari ---------------------------------------------------------- Aircraft Carriers In Hypersonic Missile Age - Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha USS Connecticut (SSN-22): I am not that Innocent! - Dr Rajasimman Sundaram Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative - Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan QUAD - Turning Into Eastern NATO - Air Marshal Anil Chopra The Re-Incarnation Of INS Vikrant - Dr Krishna S Dhir The Australian Submarine Landscape: Takeaways for the Indian Navy - Cmde CP Srivastava Air Wars: Evolution and Application in the Indian Context - Lt Gen KK Khanna Does The World Need Ethical Weapons? - Ramananda Sengupta Managing A Congested Airspace Over The Future Battle Area - Air Marshal Anil Chopra C4ISR And Autonomous Capabilities - Gp Capt AK Sachdev Corporatisation Of OFB And Bolstering Military Industry Capability - Prof SN Misra Combining The Best Of Man And Machine: Threats and Challenges - Lt General VK Saxena Aerospace And Defence News - Priya Tyagi India China LAC Face-Off: The Battlespace - Danvir Singh Politico-Military Strategy For The 1971 Indo-Pak War: A Perspective - Dr Nigel Raylyn D’Silva March 1971 - Political Chess Played By Army Generals - Sumit Walia