Taiwan Hai Lung-class submarine in 2009
A modern submarine force to deter China’s ambitions to take over Taiwan tops the island’s unmet defense needs, its first civilian defense minister told a Washington, D.C., audience on Wednesday.
A boarding team from dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) approaches merchant vessel Golden Nori after pirates released the Japanese chemical tanker Dec. 12, 2007. The pirates seized the ship off the coast of Somalia in late October. The release of Golden Nori marked the first time in more than a year that no ships were held by Somali pirates. Navy Photo
Great power competition dramatically expands the challenges of confronting irregular naval warfare such as defending against maritime pirates or preserving the security of data sent through undersea cables, a panel of experts said at the Hudson Institute last week.
The U.S. and Turkey are at a political impasse over the pending sale of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to the NATO ally, experts say. Read More
Chinese sailors watch a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warship pull into Djibouti. Xinhua Photo
Due to an editing error, a previous version of this post stated the incorrect size of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, according to James Fanell. The Chinese are on pace to reach 450 surface ships and 110 submarines by 2030, according to Fanell’s data. Those totals are not the current fleet size.
China’s rise as a naval power goes well beyond its growing number of ships and submarines but the People’s Liberation Army Navy growing capability to operate jointly with the Chinese air force and rocket corps, a maritime intelligence expert said Tuesday. Read More
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Aug. 18, 2017. DoD Photo
President Donald Trump will head to Tokyo later this month to discuss how to resume stalled denuclearization talks with North Korea, work more jointly on cybersecurity with the Japanese and build upon his meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in resolving trade issues between the two nations. Read More
Undated photo of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Kremlin Photo
Vladimir Putin could turn out to be the big winner economically and diplomatically if the United States sticks to its pledge of no more sanction waivers for countries buying Iranian oil, a leading expert on the Middle East said on Monday. Read More
Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) watch as the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth II (R 08) pulls into Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Oct 27, 2018.
The Bashar al Assad regime’s ever-tightening circle on Syrian resistance fighters could send a million or more refugees into Turkey and scatter thousands of Islamic extremists around the region, France’s ambassador to Washington warned Monday. Read More
