Brought to You by the Members of the U.S. Naval Institute
Chinese sailors aboard the People’s Liberation Army Navy destroyer Xi’an pose on the flight deck in route to RIMPAC 2016 after crossing the International Dateline. Xinhua Photo
The Chinese naval delegation to the Rim of the Pacific exercises barred at least some Japanese sailors from touring their ships and only reluctantly invited members of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force to a reception aboard a People’s Liberation Army Navy warship, USNI News has learned. Read More
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) transits alongside Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Izumo-class helicopter destroyer JS Izumo (DDH 183) and JMSDF Akizuki-class destroyer JS Teruzuki (DD 116) on Oct. 18, 2015. US Navy Photo
When looking to the future of U.S. and Japanese security “the importance of the periphery to China cannot be overstated,” a former U.S. chief of naval operations said. Read More
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin (FFG-04) in 2013.
Australia has placed significant emphasis on enhancing its maritime capabilities in its long-delayed 2016 Defence White Paper amidst an overall surge in the country’s defense spending, while warning that China’s policies and actions will have a major impact on the stability of the Indo-Pacific in the coming decades. Read More
The following is a brief video of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) underway with Japanese ships during a photo exercise on Oct. 18, 2015. Read More
The following is an overview of Japan’s Fiscal Year 2016 defense budget request. Read More
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert departs the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship Datong FFG 580 on July 17, 2014. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with a revised headline that better reflects the comments of Rear Adm. Jeff Harley.
LONDON— A two-star U.S. Navy admiral has played down fears that the Chinese government’s apparent determination to pursue its territorial claims in the South China Sea will lead inevitably to war. Read More
Helicopter carrier Kaga (DDH-184) on Aug. 27, 2015. Japan Marine United Photo
Japan has launched the second in its new class of helicopter carrier — the largest Japanese ships since World War II — in a Thursday ceremony in Yokohama. Read More
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reviews members of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) Oct. 26, 2014. Reuters Photo
The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed major changes in Japan’s defense policy, with strong implications for the United States and U.S. armed forces in the Pacific. The changes, designed to shift Japan away from an isolated, pacifistic defense posture to a more dynamic one based on bilateral and even multilateral relationships, are controversial but not uncommon to most nations. Read More
A soldier with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during the Rim of the Pacific 2014 Exercise. US Navy Photo
On Monday the United States and Japan agreed to the most sweeping changes to their bilateral alliance in more than fifty years. The so-called “2+2” Security Consultative Committee (SCC), consisting of the U.S. secretary of state, and secretary of defense, and Japan’s foreign minister and defense minister agreed to a series of initiatives that will draw the two allies even closer in defense and security matters. Read More
An undated photo of JS Izumo (DDH-183) underway. The ship commissioned on March 25, 2015. JMSDF Photo
A 24,000-ton helicopter carrier has formally entered the fleet of Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) on Wednesday making the ship the largest warship Japan has fielded since the close of World War II. Read More
