Asia's Aging Security: How Demographic Change Affects America's Allies and Adversaries
Introduction
Major demographic transitions are underway in Asia and the Pacific. The populations of China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Russia are rapidly aging and shrinking, while India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia, among others, continue to grow. How will these striking changes affect regional security dynamics and the United States–led alliance structure in the Indo-Pacific? Oros considers how technological change is mitigating the drawbacks of aging populations as well as how factors such as autonomous defense systems and artificial intelligence present new challenges.
About the Speaker
Andrew L. Oros is Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and Japan Program Director and Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC. He is the author of four books, most recently Asia’s Aging Security (2025), and numerous articles on topics related to East Asian security, politics, and demographics. He earned his Ph.D in political science at Columbia University, his B.A from the University of Southern California, and has studied at three universities in Japan.