American strategy, military spending and collective defence in the Indo-Pacific Ashley Townshend, Brendan Thomas-Noone and Matilda Steward |
| Biographic sketch & Links: | Ashley Townshend Brendan Thomas-Noone, Matilda Steward |
SUMMARY
America’s defence strategy in the Indo-Pacific is in the throes of an unprecedented crisis. Faced with an ever more capable and assertive China, the US military urgently needs to refocus on the requirements of great power competition and rebuild its strength after years of costly conflict in the Middle East.
Washington, however, appears unable to sufficiently focus its armed forces on this goal. Meanwhile, budget uncertainty and political instability has seen Congress fail to deliver a defence spending plan commensurate with the overall scope of US strategy. The result is an increasingly dangerous mismatch between America’s strategic ends and its available means.
In a special report released by the United States Studies Centre today, Ashley Townshend, Brendan Thomas-Noone and Matilda Steward argue that in the absence of hard choices by US leaders to spend more or do less in the world, the United States will confront rising levels of strategic risk with destabilising consequences for the Indo-Pacific.
To avert a deeper crisis and safeguard shared strategic objectives, they recommend that Australia advance a strategy of collective defence to offset shortfalls in America’s regional military position and bolster a favourable balance of power.
The complete document is available at https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/averting-crisis-american-strategy-military-spending-and-collective-defence-in-the-indo-pacific