Building regional order: The three phases of ASEAN-led joint military exercises

This article examines the development of joint military exercises (JMEs) led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and their implications for regional order building. Analyzing three phases of these exercises, the article demonstrates how ASEAN-led JMEs have adapted to the prevailing shifts in regional security while supporting ASEAN’s preferred regional order. Overall, the scope of ASEAN-led JMEs has broadened beyond an initial emphasis on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to include maritime security, and the range of participants has progressively narrowed. The article identifies four points of intersection between ASEAN-led JMEs and the regional order at the broader level: the JMEs convey political signals about ASEAN’s envisioned regional order; ASEAN seeks centrality but also recognizes the importance of external partners in the regional order; the rules and arrangements constituting the regional order are continuously evolving; and, the relationship between the JMEs and the regional order is mutually constitutive.