NATO Engagement in the Indo-Pacific? A Three-Country Case Study: India, Indonesia & the Philippines

Notwithstanding some overlap in NATO’s core interests with India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, particularly deterrence and crisis prevention, in its current incarnation, direct NATO cooperation with these three pivotal countries in the Indo-Pacific is difficult to reconcile. The Indo-Pacific strategic landscape and the unpredictability characterizing the second Trump administration make Indo-Pacific partners hedge even more, such that most resident actors oppose any factor or actor that may destabilize the region. This is reflected by India and Indonesia’s disinterest in direct traditional security cooperation with NATO. Both countries indicate the Indo-Pacific’s barometer vis-à-vis any NATO engagement more closely than the Philippines, whose special security relationship with the US is already ample for its security needs.

This policy paper examines NATO’s potential partnership with the three countries as case studies. It looks at their prospects for engagement with NATO, mainly through their current disposition in security matters, strategic priorities, autonomy, and relationship with China and the US/allies. We commence alphabetically with India.