The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), comprising India, Australia, Japan and the United States, has evolved into a broad-based partnership focused on promoting a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific. Since its inception, the grouping has steadily expanded cooperation across maritime security, economic resilience, critical technologies and humanitarian assistance.
Origins of the Quad
The Quad traces its origins to the coordinated humanitarian response mounted by India, Australia, Japan and the United States following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The four countries came together to coordinate relief and assistance efforts for affected nations in the region, laying the foundation for future cooperation.
The first meeting of the Quad countries took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum in the Philippines in May 2007. After a decade-long hiatus, officials from the four countries reconvened in Manila in November 2017 on the margins of the East Asia Summit. Discussions focused on connectivity, maritime security, counter-terrorism, the shared vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and proliferation challenges in Asia.
Recent High-Level Engagements
The fourth Quad Leaders’ Summit was held in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, 2024. The summit brought together US President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
The Quad Leaders’ Summit scheduled to be hosted by New Delhi in 2025 was postponed because of scheduling conflicts among the leaders and evolving geopolitical circumstances.
The 11th Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting was held in New Delhi on May 26, 2026. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Foreign Ministers of Australia, India and Japan, along with the United States Secretary of State, reviewed the progress of ongoing cooperation and announced a series of new initiatives to strengthen maritime security, economic prosperity, critical and emerging technologies, and humanitarian assistance across the Indo-Pacific.
Maritime Security Takes Centre Stage
Maritime cooperation remains one of the key pillars of the Quad.
The four countries launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration (IPMSC), the first initiative aimed at integrating maritime surveillance capabilities to improve information sharing and maritime domain awareness, with an initial focus on the Indian Ocean Region.
The Quad also expanded cooperation under the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA), with member countries working towards developing a comprehensive Common Operating Picture to strengthen real-time maritime monitoring across the region.
India will host the next Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission, which seeks to enhance interoperability and operational coordination among partner countries in addressing unlawful maritime activities.
Counter-terrorism cooperation has also expanded. India hosted two Quad workshops in September 2025 focusing on the misuse of unmanned aerial vehicles and emerging technologies by terrorist groups.
Expanding Economic Cooperation
The Quad has broadened its focus to strengthen economic resilience and secure critical supply chains.
The grouping announced the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework to enhance cooperation in mining, processing, recycling and investment aimed at building resilient critical minerals supply chains.
To strengthen regional energy resilience, the partners also launched the Quad Initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security. The initiative seeks to promote cooperation in technology, policy, energy management, international market analysis and emergency response.
Following the Quad Ports of the Future Partnership conference hosted by India in October 2025, the four countries committed to supporting port infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific. As part of this effort, the Quad will work with the Government of Fiji to advance port infrastructure and related activities.
The grouping also reaffirmed its commitment to workforce development through fellowship programmes in infrastructure, maritime and STEM sectors.
Efforts to improve digital connectivity have continued through support for secure undersea cable networks across the Indo-Pacific. The Quad aims to ensure that all Pacific Islands Forum countries are connected through undersea cables by 2026 while providing more than $25 million in combined funding and technological assistance for regional energy technology supply chains.
Cooperation in Critical and Emerging Technologies
Technology cooperation has emerged as another major area of collaboration.
The Quad welcomed progress under the Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) initiative in Palau, which will strengthen secure 4G and 5G connectivity while improving digital supply chain resilience.
The four countries also agreed to collaborate on next-generation communication standards, particularly the development of 6G technologies.
Another initiative focuses on creating a technical framework to improve interoperability of digital identity standards, enabling smoother cross-border implementation of digital identity systems.
Under the Advancing Innovations for Empowering NextGen Agriculture (AI-ENGAGE) initiative, the Quad announced more than $6 million for six international research projects. These projects aim to improve crop yields, pest management and food security by leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics and sensing technologies for agriculture.
Humanitarian Assistance and Health Preparedness
The Quad has continued to strengthen regional preparedness for humanitarian emergencies and public health challenges.
The four countries are providing training to health professionals across the Indo-Pacific to improve responses to disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. These initiatives, along with related tools and programmes, are collectively valued at more than $50 million.
The 2025 tabletop exercise and Strategic Working Group meeting held in Honolulu further strengthened the Quad’s disaster response capabilities, reinforcing the partnership’s commitment to providing timely humanitarian assistance and emergency support across the Indo-Pacific.
Broadening Regional Cooperation
Over the years, the Quad has expanded beyond its initial focus on disaster relief to become a platform for cooperation across security, economic resilience, critical technologies and humanitarian assistance.
Through initiatives spanning maritime surveillance, critical minerals, clean energy, digital connectivity, emerging technologies, agriculture and disaster response, the four countries continue to deepen collaboration in support of a resilient, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
