[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Will the 'Indo-Pacific NATO' Become a Reality?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper recently expressed that the more bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region becomes multilateral, the better, drawing attention by citing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a model. This aligns with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun's recent suggestion of the need for an 'Indo-Pacific NATO.'

Inside and outside the military, there are forecasts that "the outline of the Indo-Pacific multilateral cooperation envisioned by the U.S. to contain China is gradually becoming concrete, which could increase pressure on South Korea to expand its role."

▲ Indo-Pacific NATO... Overt U.S. Approach = If the U.S. moves to launch an 'Indo-Pacific NATO,' South Korea will face a difficult situation because it cannot neglect either the U.S. or China. The U.S. approach is overt. Recently, high-ranking U.S. officials have been using terms unfamiliar to us, such as 'Quad' (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) and 'networked Indo-Pacific.'

Secretary Esper has already announced the U.S. military strategy targeting China. The U.S. military plans to thoroughly monitor the operational maneuvers and movements of the Chinese military and share this information with allies, partners, and like-minded countries to lead the formation of a networked anti-China coalition. The U.S. Department of Defense is also designing a 'new 21st-century joint combat concept' applicable across multi-domain battlefields and intends to doctrinalize and apply it to the anti-China coalition in the future.

Stephen Biegun, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, gave a cautious response regarding the formalization of 'Quad Plus,' which includes South Korea, saying, "Everyone must move at the same pace." He also emphasized that NATO started small and gradually expanded, which can be interpreted as an indirect expression of hope for South Korea's participation.

▲ Our Navy Also Applies to Participate in Joint Exercises = Our navy has consecutively participated in multinational maritime joint exercises led by the U.S. in the Pacific, alongside Japan and Australia. The navies of South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Australia are conducting the 'Pacific Vanguard' joint exercise near Guam in the Pacific from the 11th to the 13th.

The navy deployed the destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin (DDH-975) and the Aegis destroyer Seoae Ryu Seong-ryong (DDG-993). The U.S. Navy deployed the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Barry (DDG-97), the replenishment oiler John Ericsson (T-AO 194), submarines, and aircraft. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force dispatched the destroyers Ise (DDH-182) and Ashigara (DDG-178), while Australia sent the frigates Arunta (FFH-151) and Stuart (FFG-153). During the exercise, the four countries conduct various drills, including free play, anti-submarine warfare, maritime maneuver logistics training, and communication exercises.

Pacific Vanguard, a maritime joint exercise that began last year, is now in its third iteration. The U.S., as the host country, reportedly invited each country to participate. Previously, South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and Australia completed the multinational maritime joint exercise '2020 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC)' held in Hawaii from the 17th to the 31st of last month, and on their way back, conducted a separate joint opportunity exercise near Guam on the 9th and 10th of this month. Although the nature of the exercises differs somewhat, the four countries have consecutively conducted joint exercises.

▲ China Becomes Sensitive = As the U.S. concretizes its plan to bind Indo-Pacific countries into a massive coalition to contain China, Wang Yi, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister, strongly opposed it, calling it a crossing of the red line.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Russia and visiting Mongolia, State Councilor Wang Yi expressed this position in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

Wang Yi pointed out that "China has generally maintained good relations with neighboring countries in recent years," but "as global instability accelerates, regional security faces new threats and challenges." Targeting the U.S., Wang criticized, "Some external forces interfere in the affairs of regional countries under various pretexts and even incite color revolutions."

He said, "These forces, driven by the idea of maintaining hegemony, have baselessly suppressed emerging economic systems like China and Russia with all kinds of lies and even threatened other countries to side with them, attempting to create a new Cold War."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.