NEWS & EVENTS

Entering a New Era for US-Japan Defense Integration: Opportunities and Challenges

On February 16, Mr. James Schoff, Senior Director of the U.S.-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative at Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA presented on the opportunities and challenges that the United States and Japan face as they enter a new era for bilateral defense integration.

Mr. Schoff, who previously served as Senior Advisor for East Asia Policy at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, outlined three overarching trends influencing this security integration, including the challenges posed by (1) a shifting regional military balance and (2) technological advances and their effect on military integration and cooperation, as well as (3) opportunities presented by Japan’s own pursuit of individual capabilities.

Mr. Schoff expressed the need for a reconsideration of US-Japan command relationships in order to align them with the latest national policies and reforms, and advised the development of a new model for joint Command and Control (C2) that would allow each partner to maintain a distinct chain of command while integrating control elements such as information sharing and interoperability.