The Five Power Defence Arrangements And Southeast Asia Regional Security Cooperation

The World War II heavily weakened the strength of the British Empire..Under the influence of the post-war decolonization wave,British's attempt to restore colonial rule in Southeast Asia deserted.After the independence of the Malayan Commonwealth,the United Kingdom still maintains its defence commitment through the Anglo-Malaya Defence Agreement,and continues to maintain Singapore as a direct colony of the United Kingdom in Southeast Asia at the same time.In the late 1960s,with the deepening of the economic crisis,the cost of maintaining the global defence has become a heavy burden on the British economy.After the Suez Canal Crisis,the United Kingdom was completely reduced from a world power to a moderate power,and the government began to question the meaning and value of maintaining the global defence.After making a comprehensive review of its defence policy,the British government made a decision to withdraw from the "East of Suez",Singapore and Malaysia in the Far East were also included in this plan.This decision was opposed by the United States,Singapore,Malaysia,Australia,New Zealand and other allies.In this case,in order to maintain the security of Singapore and Malaysia.In 1971,Britain,Malaysia,Singapore,Australia and New Zealand established the Five Power Defence Arrangements(FPDA).After 40 years of development,in the completion of its historical mission.The FPDA does not perish because of the changeable regional strategic environment,but with its unique flexibility and self-renewal capacity,constantly adapting to changes in the environment and playing an active role in the security cooperation in Southeast Asia.This paper tries to clarify the whole process of the establishment and development of the organization,the motive force of the organization's existence and development,and then analyzing the role of FPDA in the process of regional security cooperation in Southeast Asia,and the positive significance it poses into the security of the South China Sea,and the challenges which the FPDA may face during its future development.This paper is divided into four chapters.The first chapter describes the evolution of the defence policy of the United Kingdom in Singapore and Malaysia region after World War II,and the reasons for the establishment of the FPDA.This paper argues that the direct cause of the establishment of the FPDA is the British defence retreat plan which decided to withdraw troops from "East of Suez".The Chapter 2 elaborates the nature and evolution of the FPDA since the late 1980s in military exercises and organizational management mechanisms.The five powers,for the sake of their respective national interests,decided to replace the original defence commitment with a loose defence consultation mechanism.Since the foundation of the organization is based on informal security arrangement,depending on the soft balance of morally binding informal security arrangement,it is a quasi-alliance.As a result,its effect is constantly changing with the policy direction of the member states.During the Cold War,the operation of the organization was not smooth,although the United Kingdom is the most powerful country among the five members,leading the establishment of the organization.However,because of the weakening of and strategic focus shift,the British do not want to continue to bear in the region Defence responsibility,the]argest contribution to the organization,play a leading role in the country is Australia.The complex national interest disputes between Malaysia,Singapore,Australia and Indonesia have also affected the organization's actions.The FPDA is currently organized into five main structures.The highest-level policy body is the FPDA Defence Ministers' Meeting,then the FPDA Defence Chiefs' Conference,the FPDA Consultative Council,the FPDA Activities Coordinating Committee and the FPDA Professional Forum.In addition to the above five structures,the FPDA has an operational component which name is Integrated Area Defence System.The FPDA conducted five major exercise series,and all of these exercises were aimed at capacity building,improving interoperability,and operational capability since 2004.In addition,these exercises also served to increase military professionalism and develop relationships and mutual understanding in order to promote cooperation.Chapter 3 discusses the governance effectiveness of the FPDA to the security of Southeast Asia.The FPDA's role has been to build mutual strategic confidence between Malaysia and Singapore,to retain deterrent value,and to complement and overlap with other bilateral,minilateral and multilateral defence coalitions.The FPDA has played a guiding role in the Southeast Asian security architecture.This chapter has also discussed the positive role of the FPDA organization in promoting maritime safety in the South China Sea,which has,in recent years,addressed emerging non-traditional security issues including piracy,maritime terrorism,humanitarian assistance and disaster relief The main task-oriented,in practice,continuous innovation,strengthen the national army of the joint,armament ability,professional level,and the introduction of the form of military and civilian cooperation,so the development and expansion of the organization is conducive to the South China Sea waterway safety.At the same time,since Malaysia claimed several islands in the Spratlys,due to the existence of the FPDA,countries outside the region can be able to participate in the South China Sea deputes.This may lead the South China Sea territorial dispute more complicated.The FPDA may also be replaced by other security mechanisms in the future due to the completion of historical missions,the coincidence of functions,and the reduction in the input of member countries,but for the time being,the FPDA is still valued by the member states and played an important role in the security structure of the Southeast Asia.