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USS Benfold (DDG-65) and USS Mustin (DDG-89). US Navy Photo
Two U.S. guided missile destroyers transited the Taiwan Strait this weekend, a U.S. defense official confirmed to USNI News on Saturday. 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.
Undated Photo of Taiwanese troops using U.S. equipment.
Taiwan, faced with a more aggressive China, is talking a good game of ramping up the island’s security with its own submarines, buying sophisticated fighter aircraft and exploring asymmetric defenses, but President Tsai Ing-wen’s administration has not made the hard choices to raise a defense budget that already is being consumed by higher personnel costs, an expert panel agreed on Wednesday. Read More
Maintaining Taiwan’s security against Beijing’s saber rattling and economic coercion is very high on Japan’s and the United States’ list of priorities, maritime experts agreed on Monday speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Read More
Taipei and Beijing are exploring different ways to mitigate the persistent threat of North Korea while China and Taiwanese diplomatic relations are at a historic low, experts said at a Heritage Foundation event Friday. Read More
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Beijing has ramped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taipei to accept its “One China” point of view and it is driving the United States to better define what that means in Washington, experts on cross-straits relations said Thursday. Read More
The guided-missile destroyers USS Russel (DDG 59), USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) and the guided-missile cruiser USS Mobile Bay (CG 53) follow the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) during a show of force transit on Aug. 11, 2015. US Navy photo.
The House Armed Services Committee’s annual defense bill expresses lawmakers’ national security priorities through not only spending decisions but also through hundreds of pages of policies, “sense of Congress” statements and requests for more information.
The Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act being considered this week highlights this year’s emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, on boosting offensive and defensive aviation capabilities to a next-generation level, and ensuring the Navy is ready to maintain and operate the fleet while preparing for tomorrow’s potential battles. Read More
The president of Taiwan announced the start of a domestic submarine program in a Tuesday ceremony, according to local press reports. Read More
Brookings Institution hosted a discussion, “Cross-Strait relations at a juncture: Japanese and American perspectives,” on March 13, 2017.
China is increasingly focused on becoming a dominant military and economic power in Asia and is ratcheting up pressure on Taiwan and other neighbors, four experts on international relations agreed Monday. Read More
An artist’s representation of a Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile. Boeing Image
Boeing won a $207.5 million contract for 51 Lot 90 Harpoon anti-ship missile weapon systems for Egypt, South Korea and Brazil, according to a Wednesday contract announcement from the Pentagon. Read More
