The much-anticipated NATO summit in The Hague in late June accomplished its core objectives: securing a 5 percent defense pledge, managing U.S. President Donald Trump, and reaffirming a commitment to collective security. But the summit also drew criticism for sidestepping or neglecting hard questions.

Among the hard but crucial questions left unaddressed was NATO’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Forging deeper relations with the alliance’s regional partners, known as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4)—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea—will be critical to NATO’s ability to counter growing cross-regional threats to Euro-Atlantic security. Absent refocused attention, these relationships risk being undermined by unconstructive and erratic U.S. policy.

The much-anticipated NATO summit in The Hague in late June accomplished its core objectives: securing a 5 percent defense pledge, managing U.S. President Donald Trump, and reaffirming a commitment to collective security. But the summit also drew criticism for sidestepping or neglecting hard questions.

Among the hard but crucial questions left unaddressed was NATO’s engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Forging deeper relations with the alliance’s regional partners, known as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4)—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea—will be critical to NATO’s ability to counter growing cross-regional threats to Euro-Atlantic security. Absent refocused attention, these relationships risk being undermined by unconstructive and erratic U.S. policy.

NATO’s partnerships with the IP4 have progressed steadily since 2022. At the Madrid summit that year, the leaders of all four countries were invited to attend for the first time. Their presence signaled growing alignment, notably around NATO’s new strategic concept, which identified China as posing “systemic challenges” to Euro-Atlantic security. In 2023, the alliance formalized ties with the IP4 at the Vilnius summit by signing........

© Foreign Policy