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Australia’s defensive relationship with allies in Asia has fostered a supportive and collaborative environment, recently reaffirmed through engagements with Japan and Singapore, respectively.
Earlier in the month (15 July), Australia’s ambassador-designate to Japan, Andrew Shearer, shared remarks at the Tokyo Global Dialogue that defence risks are increasing across the Indo-Pacific, citing a recent submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missile test as evidence of heightened instability.
In the ambassador-designate’s observations at the conference, which was hosted by Japan’s Institute of International Affairs, Shearer’s comments reiterated what many in regional security and defence circles are continuing to express – that the rise of China and hostile actors in the Indo-Pacific region is an increasingly critical concern.
“I do think that the biggest change we are grappling with is the rapid and adverse shift in the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific when it comes to military power,” he said.
“And if you like, paramilitary and dual-use power, I think that’s relevant and especially the technological contest, because I think that’s where the struggle for primacy between the United States and China is at its sharpest.”
Shearer, who previously served as director-general for the Office of National Intelligence (2020–26) and was a national security adviser to John Howard and Tony Abbott, rejected the view that the United States is in a state of decline and instead said that the strategic competition between the US and China is the most significant factor that is contributing to declining regional security.
“I’m not a declinist when it comes to the United States,” he said.
He described volatile efforts to “unpick the regional order” through “more illiberal, more hierarchical and inherently more coercive” approaches as significantly contributing to degradation of peace in the Indo-Pacific.
“If we look at the region today, I think we’re seeing increasingly concerted efforts to unpick the regional order, to strip away its more liberal characteristics and over time unpick the US alliance system, which I would argue has been at the core of that system for decades…”
He said this is achieved through cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, economic coercion and “maritime militia” activities.
Bringing it back to Japan, he pointed out that their continued investment in counterstrike capabilities and security resilience with partner nations (including Australia, Korea, and India) assist in expanding security partnerships such as the Quad to build overlapping networks of cooperation.
“So when I net all of that out, my conclusion is a mix of optimism, cautious optimism, because I do believe that some of these counterbalancing impulses are going to build more deterrence but also a time of intense risk over the next 5 to 10 years.”
Australia and Singapore reaffirm efforts towards peace
On Monday, 27 July, Australia and Singapore entered a joint agreement, the Protocol on Economic Resilience and Essential Supplies, to ensure energy and supply chains remain secure in the face of potential disruption.
The new agreement was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, and Minister for Trade Don Farrell, under the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement, which has been in place since 2003 to support bilateral collaboration on critical areas of cooperation.
The protocol, which formalises the establishment of regular economic dialogue and industrial defence cooperation, represents the ongoing ways in which Australia is officially engaging in activities that support multinational approaches to ensuring a secure defensive region.
“Australia and Singapore have built one of the region’s closest and most trusted partnerships, underpinned by practical cooperation across trade, defence, energy security and economic resilience,” Foreign Minister Wong said in a statement.
“At a time of increasing global uncertainty, the protocol will help ensure Australia and Singapore can respond together to disruptions and maintain access to the supplies our economies depend on.
“Australia and Singapore’s prosperity and security are closely linked. Together, we remain committed to strengthening the rules and institutions that support an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
Signed as a part of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee Meeting, held in Adelaide, the meeting further addressed measures that are being taken to ensure regional peace and stability remains a critical area of consideration for international collaboration and policy.
In a joint communiqué released by the Australian MPs and their Singaporean counterparts, they emphasised the importance of an allied approach to prevention, saying that “all states have a shared responsibility in maintaining the conditions for peace and averting conflict”.
“Reiterated the need to promote open channels of communication, transparency and practical measures to reduce risks of escalation, crisis and conflict.
“Ministers welcomed progress and committed to strengthening arrangements to enhance our militaries’ reciprocal access and rotational presence in Australia and Singapore, in line with the memorandum of understanding concerning enhanced defence cooperation signed in October 2025.”
The MOU being referenced sets out aims to improve reciprocal access to defence services and facilities, as well as supporting regional operations and joint training.
Final thoughts
Australia’s recent efforts to cultivate strategic dialogue, multinational communication and the establishment of frameworks and policies that aim to increase defence cooperation and interoperability, emphasise the importance of working closely with regional allies in contested environments.
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