Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2026: Key developments and trends

The Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment (APRSA) advances rigorous analysis of the deeper drivers, emerging trends and future trajectories of the key security challenges and policies currently shaping the Asia-Pacific. It contextualises the broader debates at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit convened by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, where the Strategic Dossier is published and launched every year. This thirteenth edition of the APRSA covers six chapters and is written by 11 IISS experts from across its offices in London, Berlin Singapore and Washington and includes original maps, graphs, charts and tables. The chapters collectively examine how military perception, strategic geography and emerging technology continue to shape major security policies and trends across the Asia-Pacific. The special-topic chapter this year will examine how the military doctrines of major and regional powers will shape the future of warfare in the Asia-Pacific. The other five chapters cover the following topics: · Land-force modernisation in Asia · Quantum-security cooperation between Japan, South Korea and the US · Nuclear-weapons modernisation risks in the Asia-Pacific · Maritime choke-point contestation in the Indian Ocean · Thailand’s frontline role in addressing the post-coup Myanmar conflict