The Asia-Pacific region is a gigantic region, where the total population today exceeds 3 billion people, which is about 60% of the world’s population. In the Asia-Pacific region today there is a certain zone of contact between the main geostrategic interests of the most important states of the world.
The Asia-Pacific region is an important area of the maritime strategic partnership between the United States and its allies within the framework of the American concept of the “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”. The architecture of the Indo-Pacific strategy includes, along with the United States, three more states that play an important role in the Pacific and Indian Oceans: Japan, India, and Australia. Based on the QUAD mechanism, which is a key component of the strategy, these four countries are trying to build a comprehensive structure of cooperation in two oceans, which includes politics, security, economics, science, technology and infrastructure. The strengthening of the position of this treaty has a devastating effect on the existing multilateral mechanisms in the region. In addition, by virtue of American new initiatives, Japan, India, and Australia are getting dominant mechanisms in the regions of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
This article outlines the concept of a new QUAD initiatives – Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), QUAD Cybersecurity Partnership and seeks to answer questions – which of the QUAD members is most interested in the initiatives? What are the nuances of the positions of the participating countries? What are the implementation difficulties?
The decision to create a common system for monitoring the earth’s surface based on the results of satellite reconnaissance was an unexpected addition, announced after the Tokyo Summit of QUAD member countries in May 2022. Experts[1] believe that the main feature of the new idea is the closer interaction of QUAD working groups in order to create a system for collecting and transmitting information obtained using technical means by conducting electronic (SIGINT) and geospatial (GEOINT) intelligence.
The advantage of the system is that ships can be detected from satellites almost in real time even with transponders turned off (AIS system), which will help fight against the “shadow fleet”. ” Because of its commercial origin, this data will be unclassified, allowing the QUAD to provide it to a wide range of partners who wish to benefit.”, the statement explains[2].
The developers of the QUAD information exchange system place special emphasis on its low cost and sufficiently high efficiency, which is especially important in the context of the global economic crisis and rising inflation in various countries of the world.
At the same time, it is assumed that SIGINT will continue to specialize in collecting classified information, primarily related to military preparations and the transfer of PRC forces, which is especially important for India and Japan. GEOINT in addition to this will take over the tracking of non-traditional threats and challenges associated, for example, with climate change, illegal fishing, mass migration, humanitarian and man-made disasters.
As part of the IPMDA[3], countries in the Indo-Pacific region intend to exchange technologies that allow them to control their maritime borders and international sea routes using low-orbit satellites that identify ships by radio traffic and automated tracking systems.
According to analysts, the new information exchange system through the QUAD Satellite Data Portal[4] (QSDP) created by the QUAD Space Working Group will be able to cover the entire volume of electronic and satellite intelligence information received both by the QUAD participants themselves and their partners. The communication function of the QSDP is expected to be similar to the low Earth orbit communications satellites system – ORBCOMM. Thus, the unified information satellite system will be able to capture the user’s signal and transmit it to another satellite or to a control center that is part of local communication networks.
States with vast maritime economic zones extending 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast often do not have the resources to effectively monitor thousands of square miles of coastal waters[5]. The IPMDA will establish near real-time regional water control centers throughout the Indo-Pacific region.
The system will be based on existing monitoring centers in India, Singapore, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. This initiative was reinforced by the announcement of an agreement on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the region (QUAD Partnership on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in the Indo-Pacific – HADR). Continuous surveillance will also allow monitoring of flight activities in the Woody and Spratly Island groups, construction activities in Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi reefs, as well as increasing the possibility of further deployment of A2/AD weapons. It seems that the implementation of this initiative is not only humanitarian, but also strategic in nature and will be used in the interests of the US naval forces in the region[6].
Linking the American Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) with India’s C4ISR capabilities (Integrated Air Command and Control System -IACCS and Indian Navy’s Information Management and Analysis Centre – IMAC) will facilitate secure data transmission and provide QUAD countries with a common operational picture. Connecting the two networks will also allow QUAD to create a composite picture of air and surface activity and facilitate the exchange of huge SIGINT and IMINT information.
In the future, the Unified Maritime Domain Awareness System will be able to work in parallel with such civilian structures that collect commercial data, such as, for example, the Swiss company Kleos radio frequency sensing system available on the satellite information market. At present, it allows governments and competent authorities of various countries to effectively counter the smuggling of weapons and drugs. It is also worth paying attention to the satellite regional time transfer system and a satellite-based augmentation system developed by the Japanese government to enhance the United States-operated Global Positioning System (GPS) in the Asia-Oceania regions – Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS).
In addition, one of the steps for the information systems integration is the use of mobile systems to create interoperability of equipment from different manufacturers and software Open RAN (Radio Access Network for Mobile Communications) Track 1.5 in the 5G field to improve interoperability and security in the telecommunications sector[7]. O-RAN Alliance takes part in this initiative – develops and promotes standards and protocols aimed at equipment and software compatibility, and Telecom Infra Project – is responsible for checking the software compatibility and different equipment.
Among the sticking points of the creating an effective mechanism for a new information exchange channel within the framework of QUAD, foreign analysts[8] emphasize the persistence of significant differences in the levels and possibilities of obtaining data of interest to the participants in the dialogue, as well as the need to harmonize their legal affairs governing the transfer of classified information to representatives of foreign states. An equally serious hindrance is the threat of a strong reaction from China, which make QUAD participants, with the exception of the United States, do IPMDA with the utmost caution, especially avoiding transferring this process to an official legal framework.
Since the next QUAD summit is to be held next year in Australia, and this country is also an ally of the United States and a member of the “defensive” alliance AUKUS, one of the foundations of which is declared technological cooperation, we can expect new decisions to be made there as well.
[1] https://thediplomat.com/2022/10/how-to-make-the-indo-pacific-partnership-for-maritime-domain-awareness-work/
[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/23/fact-sheet-QUAD-leaders-tokyo-summit-2022/
[3] https://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/australianoutlook/the-quad-china-and-maritime-domain-awareness-in-the-indo-pacific/
[4] https://spacenews.com/QUAD-nations-unveil-satellite-based-maritime-monitoring-initiative/
[5] https://share.america.gov/QUAD-partners-help-indo-pacific-countries-monitor-waters/
[6] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/09/quads-maritime-initiative-could-spur-militarization-of-indo-pacific.html
[7] https://www.openranpolicy.org/statement-on-the-QUAD-leaders-tokyo-summit-2022/
[8] https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/energy/what-is-the-QUAD-and-should-china-fear-it/2022/05/19/10ef5c8c-d7a1-11ec-be17-286164974c54_story.html
