US-Japan “C3” Modernization: Past, Present and Future
Command, Control, and Coordination for the US-Japan Alliance

Download US-Japan “C3” Modernization: Past, Present and Future
Command, Control, and Coordination for the US-Japan Alliance

The US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative published its final paper from its nearly two-year project on the modernization of US-Japan defense-related command, control, and coordination (C3) relationships. This work is the culmination of six roundtable dialogues on the topic, two multi-day conferences in the US and Japan, and a series of event summaries and follow up papers by its participants. A mark of success for the project was that the topic of C3 modernization was at the top of the agenda for the April 2024 leaders’ summit between President Biden and PM Kishida and the subsequent 2+2 meeting. As both countries launch new administrations and begin to implement reforms to their command structures in Japan, this paper outlines the final recommendations of our project with additional historical context about how alliance C3 has evolved (from the Occupation, to the Korean War, through the Cold War, and beyond).

To download the PDF version of the publication “US-Japan ‘C3’ Modernization: Past, Present and Future”, click here.

The US-Japan NEXT Alliance Initiative is a forum for bilateral dialogue, networking, and the development of joint recommendations involving a wide range of policy and technical specialists (in and out of government) to stimulate new alliance connections across foreign, security, and technology policy areas. Established by Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA with support from the Nippon Foundation, the goal is to help improve the alliance and how it serves shared interests, preparing it for emerging challenges within an increasingly complex and dynamic geostrategic environment. Launched in 2021, the Initiative includes two overlapping lines of effort: 1) Foreign & Security Policy, and 2) Technology & Innovation Connections. The Initiative is led by Sr. Director James Schoff.

Download US-Japan “C3” Modernization: Past, Present and Future
Command, Control, and Coordination for the US-Japan Alliance