Company logo
Search
Company logo

This essay explores Southeast Asian perspectives on Quad-driven maritime security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. Through expert analyses from Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam, it evaluates regional perceptions of Quad initiatives based on three primary variables: initiative leadership, the character of the activity, and geographic location. It emphasizes the importance of balancing distinct national interests with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) alignment.

Key Takeaways

  • Minilateral Impact on Regional States: Minilateral groups—in which a small group of countries share a cooperative approach to international relations, like the Quad (United States, India, Australia, and Japan)—strongly influence non-major powers across the Indo-Pacific, where Southeast Asian nations navigate a complex regional environment.
  • Three Core Variables: Regional attitudes toward Quad security initiatives are shaped by who leads the activity, the character of the initiative, and its geographic location. Across all participating ASEAN nations, national self-interest remains the primary lens for evaluation.
  • Commitment to ASEAN Centrality: Quad members explicitly aim to complement ASEAN's central role in the region rather than displace it. Engagements like the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration are designed to remain sensitive to regional security concerns.
  • Addressing Strategic Disruption: ASEAN partners navigate a disrupted world order and evolving power dynamics. Quad policymakers should engage with these regional partners in order to accurately assess how regional security cooperation is realistically received on the ground.

Cite this essay:

Le Hong Hiep, Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma, Sarah Teo, and Marise Payne, “Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Cooperation: The View from Southeast Asia,” Global Policy and Strategy Initiative, Hoover Institution, October 2026.

 

About the Authors

Dr. Le Hong Hiep is a senior fellow and coordinator of the Vietnam Studies Programme at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, and editor of its flagship journal, Contemporary Southeast Asia. Hiep holds a PhD in political and international studies from the University of New South Wales.

Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma is a researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, Indonesia, in topics including Indo-Pacific security dynamics, the role of ASEAN in regional geopolitics and humanitarian issues, and Indonesian foreign policy and maritime security. He holds an MS from the University of Bristol, UK.

Sarah Teo is an assistant professor in the Regional Security Architecture Programme for the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research interests include multilateral security cooperation and middle powers in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific.

The Hon. Marise Payne, Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, served in the Australian Senate from 1997 to 2023—the longest-serving female senator in its history. She was Australia’s first female minister for defense (2015–18), as well as minister for women (2019–22) and for foreign affairs (2018–22).

Expand
overlay image