Dzirhan Mahadzir

About Dzirhan Mahadzir

Dzirhan Mahadzir is a freelance defense journalist and analyst based in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Among the publications he has written for and currently writes for since 1998 includes Defence Review Asia, Jane’s Defence Weekly, Navy International, International Defence Review, Asian Defence Journal, Defence Helicopter, Asian Military Review and the Asia-Pacific Defence Reporter.


Recent Posts By the Author


U.S. Marines, Japan Self Defense Force Kick Off Iron Fist Exercise in Western Pacific

U.S. Marines, Japan Self Defense Force Kick Off Iron Fist Exercise in Western Pacific

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Matthew Danner, commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, right, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Col. Yoshikazu Nishida, the commanding officer of the 1st Amphibious Rapid Deployment Regiment, left, visit U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 31st MEU, conducting defensive posturing for Iron Fist 23 at Hijudai, Japan, Feb. 19, 2023. US Marine Corps

The U.S Marine Corps and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) began the bilateral Iron Fist 2023 exercise last week. It’s the first exercise that has been held in Japan since it began in 2006. Previous iterations were held at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. Read More

Nimitz Strike Group, Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group Drill in South China Sea

Nimitz Strike Group, Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group Drill in South China Sea

An MV-22 Osprey from the “Ugly Angels” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 362 flies by the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in the South China Sea on Feb. 11, 2023. U.S. Navy Photo

A United States Navy carrier strike group and amphibious ready group are drilling in the South China Sea in the service’s latest effort to test how the formations can operate together with their respective platforms. Read More

Officials Confirm Suspicious Balloon Overflights of Japan, Won't Say They Came From China

Officials Confirm Suspicious Balloon Overflights of Japan, Won’t Say They Came From China

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosts Japan’s Minister of Defense Yasukazu Hamada for talks at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., Sept. 14, 2022. DoD Photo

The Japanese have had their own instances of unidentified flying objects and surveillance balloons sighted over the country in the past few years, Japan’s Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said Friday. Read More

U.S., South Korea Pledge to Expand Military Cooperation; NATO and Japan Deepen Ties

U.S., South Korea Pledge to Expand Military Cooperation; NATO and Japan Deepen Ties

South Korea’s 28th Infantry Division, Artillery Brigade, U.S 2nd Infantry Division, 2nd Striking Brigade,2-17th Artillery Battalion combined live-fire Exercise were held at Kkotbong Shooting Range in Gyeonggi Province. Jan. 23, 2023. ROK Photo

The U.S. and South Korea will step up joint field exercises and bolster joint capabilities to deter and respond to North Korean nuclear and missile threats, the defense chiefs of both countries said on Tuesday.

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Japan Issues Military Equipment Wishlist That Includes Hypersonic Weapons, Unmanned Systems

Japan Issues Military Equipment Wishlist That Includes Hypersonic Weapons, Unmanned Systems

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, announced the successful completion of Japan Flight Test Mission-07 (JFTM-07), held off the coast of Kauai in Hawaii, on Nov. 18, 2022. MDA Photo

Japan’s Ministry of Defense this week issued a document detailing new military equipment it’s developing, with rationales and status updates for programs ranging from hypersonic weapons to unmanned underwater vehicles. Read More

Japanese Scrambled Fewer Fighters Against Foreign Aircraft Last Year, Says MoD

Japanese Scrambled Fewer Fighters Against Foreign Aircraft Last Year, Says MoD

Russian and Chinese aircraft flight patterns in FY 2022. Japanese Ministry of Defense Photo.

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force carried out a total of 612 fighter scrambles against foreign aircraft by the end of the third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022, a decrease from a total of 785 scrambles in the same period for FY 2021, according to a report released Friday by the Joint Staff Office of Japan’s Ministry of Defense. Read More