Kuala Lampur, Sept. 17 -- The sight of two aircraft carriers sailing in formation across the Pacific is designed to impress.

This month, the Royal Navy's HMS Prince of Wales joined Japan's formidable fleet for joint exercises-an unmistakable demonstration of allied resolve in the face of intensifying geopolitical rivalry. For many, it was a signal to Beijing.

But for Southeast Asia, a region prone to typhoons, earthquakes, and tsunamis, such deployments evoke a different question: can these colossal assets be re-purposed as platforms for life-saving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR)?

No region is as vulnerable to natural disasters as Asean. Indonesia alone straddles the Ring of Fire, with volcanic eruptions and earthqu...