As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded in military operations across the Indo-Pacific, nations including Australia, India and Japan are accelerating initiatives to secure AI-enabled command and control (C2) systems against an increasingly volatile cyber threat landscape. The shift underscores the need for resilient, interoperable communications frameworks amid growing concerns over state-sponsored cyberattacks and the militarization of AI.
The proliferation of AI-enhanced cyber tools has transformed offensive and defensive operations. Advanced persistent threats, notably China’s Volt Typhoon and North Korea’s Research Center 227, exploit AI to automate reconnaissance, penetration and malware deployment targeting critical infrastructure across the region, according to threat assessments. At the same time, AI-generated phishing and deepfake attacks have surged.
India is moving toward AI-based C2 systems. “Even if full AI adoption isn’t there yet, the foundations for securing such systems are being built,” Arindrajit Basu, a nonresident fellow at New America, a United States-based think tank, told FORUM. India’s military maintains a dedicated Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), he said, and its civilian counterpart, CERT-In, is part of the global Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams network, bolstering its capacity to respond to cross-border cyber incidents.
Meanwhile, the Quad Senior Cyber Group convenes experts from Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. to strengthen cooperation on critical infrastructure protection, secure software and cyber resilience.
Japan’s 2022 national security strategy outlines a cyber defense posture to preemptively disrupt adversary operations.
“Japan’s approach is to aim to mitigate the impact of attacks in the early phases,” Dai Mochinaga, an associate professor at Japan’s Shibaura Institute of Technology, wrote for the April 2025 issue of Asia Policy, a publication of the National Bureau of Asian Research. He noted that Tokyo is strengthening alignment with Allies and Partners and sharply increasing its cyber defense budget.
Australia also is strengthening its cyber infrastructure through strategic partnerships and significant investment. In 2024, the government announced plans for a cloud computing system for highly sensitive data. The Australian Defence Department said the $1.3 billion project will provide a critical capability for military operations and “support greater interoperability and deeper collaboration with the United States.”
Emerging military capabilities such as autonomous weapons systems depend heavily on integrated cloud infrastructure and secure data pathways, heightening the importance of collaboration.
Efforts to institutionalize cyber resilience are underway in regional platforms such as the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, according to Basu. For example, the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team fosters cooperation and information exchange among its members to bolster responses to computer security incidents. The U.S.-led International Counter Ransomware Initiative serves as “a force multiplier against ransomware actors and their ecosystem” by strengthening members’ capability to detect, disrupt and deter malicious cyber actors.
Additionally, military drills increasingly incorporate cyber elements, Basu said. “Integrating cyber into kinetic military exercises is now a must.”
