With the rising tide of the People's Republic of China in the Pacific region, and a movement in Japan's LDP government to increase defense, it seems paramount that U.S. and Japanese forces be able to properly operate with each other during a combat scenario. For a strong and visible shield against China to exist, the United States must be able to work closely with each ally--a close defense cooperation between Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, America, Australia and New Zealand would be ideal, but is unlikely due to unfortunate political realities. So, it seems as if America will have to settle with being able to individually work with each nation.
This month is a testament to the idea of interoperability between U.S. and Japanese forces, as each nation's respective maritime forces are collaborating with each other to improve bilateral capacity to conduct amphibious operations. According the key U.S. and Japanese defense officials, building up Japan's ability to conduct amphibious operations is crucial to maintaining a strong defense amid territorial disputes--this includes a possible Island Assault Unit.
So far, it seems as if the future of Japanese and American interoperability will focus on three things: being able to operate coherently to defeat mainland China's navy (and air force), to recapture an island seized by the PRC Army or Marine Corps and missile defense.
The United States and Japanese navies have long been able to cooperate together, showing a theoretical ability to coherently conduct operations during wartime. The American and Japanese air forces are working together to achieve interoperability. While chief strategists have agree'd on the future of American and Japanese strategy--America is working on its Joint Operational Access Concept and Japan has its Dynamic Defense. All in all, the militaries seem to be to set up a strong defense network capable of facing, and hopefully defeating, China's navy and air force.
That said, peace time operations are crucial to readiness for actual wartime. Japan's role in its strategic partnership with the United States should increase focus on surveillance operations in the South China Sea. Furthermore, America should also defend increased strategic reach by Japan on the global stage. Japan has multiple interest riding in, for example, the Persian Gulf. Therefore, it would be beneficial for both the United States and Japan if the JMDSF deployed minesweepers to conduct operations in the Strait of Hormuz.
The focus on cooperation between America and Japan has historically been focused on maritime strategy, not ground combat. The Japanese Ground Self Defense Force has typically focused on disaster relief and peacekeeping operations--both have been proven in actual scenarios. Now that China has a substantial ability to possibly seize an island, Japan is mulling over the need for an amphibious force. Establishing their own branch for amphibious is likely unnecessary, but creating their own "Expeditionary Force" is a good option Japanese politicians are considering. Ultimately, though, any sort of amphibious strategy should take into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the American and Japanese militaries (and possibly other nations like the United Kingdom and Australia, which would likely participate in combat operations).
Finally, you have the issue of missile defense. In the author's opinion, missile defense is a crucial aspect of regional defense that needs to be worked on. In several war games, China has been able to gain the upper hand, close down the South China Sea, and push America back to San Diego by utilizing their missile forces. Since the author isn't extremely well read on how to fix this problem, he encourages readers to throw ideas out there in the comment section below.
--Tom
