Asia is in transition like no other continent on Earth. Home
to China (perceived as the next challenger to American
hegemony) and rising powers from India to Indonesia, it hosts
some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, as well as its
largest population of young people, with almost two out of
every three people between 15–24 years of age living in Asia.1
Furthermore, this continent has the greatest numbers of men
under arms and an increasing share of the world’s defence
spending. As the global balance of power shifts eastwards, so
too does the centre of gravity of the world’s security and prosperity challenges.2
And at the heart of this new centre in the
east is the sea.