Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin pass a military honour guard as they walk inside for a meeting at the Pentagon on 22 September 2021. A week earlier, Australia, the US, and the United Kingdom announced their AUKUS security pact to help Australia develop and deploy nuclear-powered submarines. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For 75 years after the end of the Second World War, the US maintained an alliance system in Asia focused on a handful of key bilateral relationships and mutual defence treaties. The plan was to act as a bulwark against Soviet expansionism and enable US operations in a region with diverse strategic goals and historical animosities. In essence, the US acted as a ‘hub' with numerous bilateral ‘spokes' to countries in the region.