By Eddie Walsh
Speaking with The Diplomat, a US Pacific Command spokesperson recently suggested that ASEAN’s pursuit of regional defence industry collaboration would help advance US national interests in the Asia-Pacific as it would usher in a new ‘set of standards, similar to NATO, (that) will facilitate interoperability among ASEAN and US militaries.’
But this reasoning seems peculiar because it not only fails to address the impact of ASEAN Defense Industry Collaboration’s (ADIC)accepted raison d'être – to lower ASEAN dependence on defence imports – but because it also emphasizes ADIC - NATO-like standards, which is a shift from previous discussions.
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