WASHINGTON – A former defense undersecretary said that while the U.S. will benefit from cooperating with Japan on security issues, the opposite may not be true because the U.S. does not share the technology and technical data that is needed to enhance high-level interoperability.
“We have not put the bandwidth, the intellectual capability and the funding in developing true coalition capabilities with our partners,” said Jeffrey Bialos, former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial affairs during the Clinton administration.
U.S. and Japan agreed on new guidelines last month to enhance bilateral defense cooperation on security issues that range from defense against ballistic missiles to cyber and space attacks. Through this new agreement, not only will the U.S. help protect Japan, but Japan will also be able to defend regional allies that may be attacked. This means that Japanese missile defense systems can intercept weapons launched toward the U.S.
Japanese industries have a lot of innovation, and the defense collaboration between the U.S. and Japan should be encouraged, Bialos said at a panel discussion at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think tank based in Washington, D.C. However, he said the U.S. should be willing to share as much defense technology information with allies as it receives. He said that he also does not see any significant US-Japan cooperative programs arising from the new guidelines.
“We have to understand, guidelines are guidelines … not laws, not rules, not treaties. It’s a framework and the question is, “What’s going to be done in practice?” he said. “Will there be more demand in way of government programs to meet these but focus on interoperability and bilateral security needs?”
The purpose of the new guidelines is for Japan to strengthen its military due to concerns of the rising Chinese military activity and North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. Under these strategies, Japan will now allow defense transfers overseas and has negotiated defense equipment cooperation agreements with Australia, France, India and the United Kingdom. These agreements will allow Japan to participate in research, development and production of defense technologies with allies.
The guidelines have a potential to create a much more integrated alliance between the U.S. and Japan, according to James Schoff, a senior associate for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who was also one of the panelists.
“It also comes at the same time the United States is launching what it calls the Defense Innovation Initiative,” he said.
Then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel introduced the Defense Innovation Initiative last November at the Reagan National Defense Forum. The goal of the program is for experts at the Department of Defense to explore and develop cutting-edge technologies and systems for warfighting. Some of these technologies and systems include robotics and 3-D printing.
Schoff said this program and future emphasis on developing technologies fit well with Japan’s strengths in technology development.
“Why don’t we try to leverage some of these strengths together with American strengths and develop alliance solutions to some of the military defense technology challenges that we face?” he asked.
Schoff noted that this can be difficult to accomplish since both governments may have slightly different priorities and the bureaucratic systems operate somewhat differently. Nevertheless, he said the potential benefits from collaborating will make it worthwhile to take on these challenges.
