Chinese ships operating near Japan on June 24, 2022. Japanese MoD Image
An uptick in Russian and Chinese warship movements near Japan are a part of an ongoing military demonstration toward Tokyo, Japan’s Defense Minister Nobou Kishi said this week. Read More
Chinese ships on June 17, 2022. JMSDF Photos
Russian warships are now steaming in the East China and the Philippine seas near Japan, the Russian Navy and the Japan Defense Ministry announced on Monday. Read More
Chinese Dongdiao-class surveillance ship, hull number 795
A Chinese surface group sailed past Japanese islands to enter the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday while a PLAN surveillance ship sailed through the Miyako Strait on Thursday to enter the Pacific Ocean according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense. Read More
Route of Russian and Chinese bombers during an exercise near Japan and South Korea. Japanese MoD Photo
Four Chinese H-6 bombers and two Russian Tu-95 bombers conducted joint flights together on Tuesday around Japan and the Republic of Korea, prompting both countries to scramble fighter aircraft to monitor the flights. The joint flights took place the same day U.S. President Joe Biden was meeting his Australian, Indian and Japanese Quad grouping counterparts in Tokyo, though both the Russian and Chinese defense ministries stated that the flights were part of their annual military cooperation plan and not directed towards anyone. Read More
U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Jay M. Bargeron, left, 3d Marine Division commanding general, salutes Lt. Gen. Kim Tae-sung, right, Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps during a visit to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Mar. 1, 2022. US Marine Corps Photo
The top commander in Korea saw encouraging signs for the with U.S. alliance with the election of conservative candidate Yoon Suk-yeol as the nation’s president in the most hotly contested race in Seoul’s history as a democracy. Read More
Sailors prepare for a replenishment-at-sea with fleet replenishment oiler USNS Pecos (T-AO-197) in the hangar bay of aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) on Oct. 18, 2020. US Navy Photo
The Navy is asking itself how the service can sustain the fleet in high-end conflict when it no longer has government-owned or American-flagged merchant vessels feeding forward bases to rely on in wartime, a maritime analyst told an international online forum Thursday. Read More
HMS Queen Elizabeth R08 arriving back in Portsmouth July 2, 2020 after a period at sea conducting Operational Sea Training. UK Royal Navy Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
China, Russia and the U.S. all announced sweeping expansions of their naval capacity in 2020 as the three largest world fleets vie for high seas influence in a declared era of great power competition. The new tone for naval forces is helping U.S. allies achieve more lethal navies and expanded capabilities. Read More
Army Gen. Robert Abrams, commander in 2016. US Army Photo
Senate Armed Services Committee members expressed concerns over the Trump administration’s position on military exercises and U.S. troop presence South Korea in exchange for vague promises from Pyongyang about denuclearization during a confirmation hearing for the top U.S. military officer in Korea. Read More
Defense Secretary James N. Mattis meets with Chinese Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Gen. Xu Qiliang at the People’s Liberation Army’s Bayi building in Beijing on June 28, 2018. DoD photo
This ocean is big enough for the both of us, China’s leaders told Secretary of Defense James Mattis during his week-long swing through the Pacific spent finding common ground in some cases with Beijing or politely agreeing to disagree in others.
Donald Trump in 2015.
President-elect Donald Trump’s telephone conversation Friday with the president of Taiwan shows just how much the equation of the United States’ relations with nations in the Asia-Pacific could be changing. Read More
