This special report reviews and assesses potential terrorism hotspots in the Indo-Pacific region and offers some policy recommendations for the Australian government.

China may already be building a ‘post-American navy’, one designed not to confront US naval predominance in the Pacific, but to inherit it as the US baulks at the increasing cost of continued regional leadership.

On Indo-Pacific matters, the Labour Party-led government, headed by Jacinda Ardern, will no doubt take a lead from Australia’s maritime strategic vision. Its primary focus however, will continue to be on the Asia-Pacific component of the region, particularly the South Pacific.

The proposed Quadrilateral Security Initiative 2.0 is an informal maritime alliance of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, which primarily involves co-operation in the Indo-Pacific.

This report reviews the evolution of Russia’s strategic and defence engagement in the IndAsPac. It also critically reviews Russia’s regional defence strategy, including threats perceptions, and principal vectors of regional engagement, predominantly through its active defence diplomacy.