Containing China Without Confrontation? The Quad's Maritime Security Paradox Plays Out at Sea

YCAPS is delighted to announce next event in the Community Conversations seminar series in the Okinawa community! This event will feature Dr. John Bradford, Executive Director, Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies.

This Community Conversation seminar examines the enduring tension at the heart of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad): its widespread perception as a coalition of leading Indo-Pacific democracies with a shared interest to constrain Chinese power versus its self-presentation as a provider of regional public goods. Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in the maritime domain.

Although maritime security has been a stated priority area of Quad cooperation throughout its historical evolution, the group has consistently avoided direct confrontation with China’s military and gray-zone activities, adopted a cautious posture on South China Sea issues, and fallen short on its promises to deliver maritime domain awareness and capacity-building assistance to regional partners. Yet, the Quad’s initiatives are far from inconsequential and have begun to reshape maritime geopolitics across the Indo-Pacific in meaningful ways.

Drawing on policy analysis and regional experience, this seminar assesses what the Quad has—and has not—achieved in maritime security, and what this reveals about its future role in the region.

Registration: Optional via this Google Form.

Schedule:

• 18:45-19:30 Refreshments & Networking (food & drinks)
• 19:30-20:45 Presentation and Q&A

Location: (for parking, see below )

Vessel Hotel Campana Okinawa

〒904-0115 Okinawa, Nakagami District, Chatan, Mihama, 9−22

goo.gl/maps/PsF7icULPM3rgoKx9

Parking:

Depot Island Parking Lot

〒904-0115 Okinawa, Nakagami District, Chatan, Mihama

https://maps.app.goo.gl/5Ti7CyGnTBwieDVo6

Speaker:

John F. Bradford founded YCAPS with three friends and served at its first President. He currently lives in Yokosuka where serving the YCAPS team is his main activity. He is also an adjunct senior fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He has also been a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow in Jakarta and Tokyo. His research focuses on Asian security with special attention given to maritime issues and cooperative affairs. His written work can be found in journals such as Contemporary Southeast Asia, Asia Policy, Asian Security, Asian Survey, Naval War College Review, and Naval Institute Proceedings as well as in edited volumes, online publications and monographs published by leading international think tanks.

Prior to becoming a full-time community builder, he spent more than twenty-three years as a U.S. Navy officer. As a Surface Warfare Officer, he served as Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Combat Systems Officer, Chief Engineer, Navigator, First Lieutenant and Electronic Warfare Officer in ships forward-deployed to Japan. His staff assignments included service as Deputy Director for the U.S. Seventh Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Regional Cooperation Coordinator for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Policy), Asia-Pacific Politico-military Branch Chief on the Navy Staff and Assistant Plans officer at Commander, Naval Forces Japan.

John holds a PhD from King's College London. As an Olmsted Scholar, CDR Bradford studied in the Department of Political Science at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed an MSc (Strategic Studies) from RSIS. He is also a graduate of Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies and the US Naval War College. He earned a BA (double major Asian Studies and Government) from Cornell University. He is particularly proud of the training he received as a midshipman aboard the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Rahmat.

Format: This event will be off-the-record.
Moderators: Ryan Ashley
Seminar Cost: Free of charge

Registration: Optional via this Google Form