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ticularly important functions and capabilities through
optimal resource allocation. 21
Despite the impenetrable jargon typical of defense
reports, these stated objectives provide a roadmap to
the SDF’s modernization programs and future force
structure.
The Dynamic Joint Defense Force concept is the
product of a steady evolution in Japanese strategic
thought. Notably, the 2010 NDPG formally jettisoned
the Basic Defense Force Concept, a Cold War legacy
premised on strong, yet relatively immobile, defenses
designed to repel assault and predicated on a largely
passive deterrence posture. Instead, according to the
2010 NDPG, a dynamic defense force would take
the place of static defense, and agility would be the
watchword of the new force. Such forces could swiftly
deploy to remote islands for a variety of contingencies,
meeting challenges as they arose. To develop a
dynamic defense force, the SDF would concurrently
rejuvenate aerial, surface, and underwater surveillance
operations.
The dynamic joint defense force thus carries forward
many of the key tenets developed in 2010. In addition
to mobility and readiness, the 2013 NDPG emphasizes
the close coordination among naval, air, and
ground forces. The inherently amphibious character
of the Japanese-held islands in the East China Sea demands
such integration of capabilities. At the same
time, the 2013 NDPG calls on the SDF to establish an
effective intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
(ISR) architecture that would blanket the East China
Sea with a variety of sensors to better monitor China’s
naval and air activities. All three services would
benefit enormously from such an enhanced ability to
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