Getting US-Japanese Command and Control Right

Japan’s ambitious national security and defense strategies offer the opportunity to build a far more operationally effective and deeply integrated U.S.-Japanese alliance. As Japan moves to stand up its first Permanent Joint Operational Headquarters, the United States should act quickly to update its own command structure in Japan. Rather than wait for Japan to decide the details of the future headquarters — including its rank structure, role, and location — the United States should move now to establish a joint operational command element, based in Japan, to serve as its primary day-to-day U.S. interface. Acting now will give the United States the opportunity to shape Japanese choices. Otherwise, decisions made in Tokyo today will narrow Washington’s command structure options tomorrow. 

Tokyo Steps Up

Last December, Japan unveiled a new defense strategy that is unprecedented in its scope and ambition, reflecting deep concern over the deteriorating security environment in East Asia. Under the strategy, Japan plans to increase defense spending by more than 60 percent over the next five years, from ¥5.4 trillion (about $40 billion at today’s exchange rates) in Japan’s fiscal year 2022 to about ¥9 trillion ($66 billion) in fiscal year 2027. The effort is off to a fast start: The budget for Japan’s fiscal year 2022 alone is more than 25 percent higher than last year’s. The strategy includes plans for investments in advanced capabilities that Japan has not had before — including long-range precision strike and active cyber defense — as well as long-neglected areas like munition stocks, readiness and maintenance, and hardening of facilities. According to some estimates, by 2027 Japan could have the third-largest defense budget in the world, after the United States and China.

Read the full article here.