Arms Proliferation Issues in ASEAN: Towards a More"Conventional" Defence Posture?

The armed forces of the ASEAN countries have embarked upon a major drive to modernize their air and naval capabilities. But does this reflect a shift in emphasis from internal security operations to conventional warfare? This paper finds that the air and naval forces of four ASEAN countries are moving beyond internal security and coastal defence roles. A number of factors have affected this transition, especially the declining credibility of the Western strategic umbrella in the region, and the emergence of new security concerns, including the protection of maritime economic zones that are increasingly vital to the ASEAN countries. These concerns might have contributed more than just the perceptions of a conventional external military threat to the apparent shift in the defence posture of the ASEAN countries.