USS Ralph Johnson (DDG-114) steams near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on July 14, 2020. US Navy Photo
Freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea puts stress on the fleet when the Navy could use that time more effectively “to train up for high-end conflict,” a national security expert who served in the Trump administration said Friday. Read More
Chinese leader Xi Jinping aboard a PLA NAvy ship. Xinhua photo
Confrontational or irrational moves by Chinese warships and planes may not be actions of a “rogue commander” but rather decisions by a political commissar, a new report describes. Read More
Russia’s Baltic Fleet. Russian Ministry of Defense photo.
Russia’s massive 70-warship Ocean Shield exercise in the Baltic Sea last year signaled the Kremlin’s intention to be the dominating Arctic power militarily and economically, two international security experts said Tuesday. Read More
Republic of Korea Army soldiers stand resolute at the iconic Joint Security Area where South and North Korean soldiers stand face to face across the Korean Demilitarized Zone, Panmunjom, South Korea, June 19, 2018. US Army Photo
Tensions on the Korean peninsula are on the rise as North Korea is reasserting an aggressive military posture — cutting hotline communications, blowing up a liaison office and issuing threats to send armed soldiers into guard posts along the Demilitarized Zone. Read More
This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. CDC Image
The Pentagon’s budget will fall in the future as Congress sees how little the Department of Defense’s spending was able to protect against the global COVID-19 pandemic, three national security experts predicted in a panel discussion last week. Read More
The 83-foot commercial fishing vessel, Lady Kristie, the Coast Guard interdicted in early 2019. Coast Guard Photo
The nations in Southeastern Asia facing an existential threat from illegal fishing are the ones least able to protect themselves from it, the senior Coast Guard officer in charge of operations said on Tuesday. Read More
People’s Liberation Army Navy Band in 2006. US Navy Photo
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is embarking on a regional charm offensive this autumn by sending a pair of ships on friendly visits – including a rare port call in Japan – as part of an ongoing effort using the military to further diplomatic missions.
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Masafumi Nishiwaki, Commander, Escort Flotilla Four gives introductory remarks at the Malabar 2019 opening ceremony aboard the Japanese helicopter destroyer JS Kaga (DDH-184) on Sept. 26, 2019. US Navy Photo
Washington and New Delhi, “need to press the refresh button” in building a relationship for the future based on new global realities, India’s minister of external affairs said Wednesday. Read More
Members of a Chinese military honor guard march during a welcome ceremony. DoD photo
A new Chinese defense ministry policy paper counters the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy by casting the U.S. as an aggressive and destabilizing force in Asia. Read More
Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning underway. PLAN Photo
While Washington defends its Navy’s transits through disputed waters in the South China Sea as upholding international freedom of navigation, Beijing blasts these operations as provocative and clear violations of its domestic law, a leading Chinese naval expert said last week; and both positions could harden.
