ABSTRACT
The waters of the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific cover a significant portion of the globe and can be analytically divided into a series of sub-regions that are, in certain respects, self-contained, but in other respects, overlap with neighboring sub-regions. Many of the sub-regions of the Indo-Pacific confront a variety of traditional and non-traditional challenges of varying levels of gravity and immediacy. Military instruments, especially air and naval power, synergistically combined with diplomacy and other policy instruments can help facilitate cooperation in response to common challenges, based on coinciding interests. A whole of government approach among the various powers can help resolve, or at least effectively manage areas where interests conflict. Surveying the air power capabilities of the various littoral powers, while some powers possess very capable air power assets, many other air forces suffer from budgetary constraints, resulting in uneven and/or inadequate capabilities that, in turn, negatively impact their ability to successfully respond to traditional and non-traditional challenges.
