Flashpoints | Security | Southeast Asia

The Squad and the Quad: 2 Tracks of Security Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific

The Squad should be understood not as a replacement for the Quad but as an expression of the Indo-Pacific’s increasingly layered security architecture.

The defense ministers of Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. – the “Squad” – meet on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu, the Philippines, Oct. 28, 2026.

The emergence of the “Squad” alongside the Quad reflects a changing security landscape in the Indo-Pacific, wherein regional cooperation is being shaped by nontraditional security challenges and the imperative of military deterrence. The defense ministers’ meeting of the Squad – the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines – on the sidelines of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Cebu, Philippines on October 28 underscored this emerging trend. The meeting also took place alongside separate engagements involving the Quad partners – the United States, Japan, Australia, and India – highlighting how overlapping partnerships are focusing on distinct strategic purposes. 

The Squad showcases the operational dimension of Indo-Pacific security cooperation. Its significance lies in strengthening defense coordination among the U.S. and its allies – all countries with an immediate strategic stake in the western Pacific and the South China Sea. At the meeting in Cebu, the four ministers agreed to advance defense cooperation through consultations, joint military exercises, and other initiatives. Japan’s Ministry of Defense described these efforts as contributing to regional peace and stability. 

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The emergence of the “Squad” alongside the Quad reflects a changing security landscape in the........

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