Brought to You by the Members of the U.S. Naval Institute
The Pentagon recently began funding maritime security projects with countries in the South China Sea aimed at giving them the capability to monitor activities in their territorial waters and air space amidst concerns of regional Chinese expansion. Read More
In Europe, “you find a kind of the perfect storm”—a resurgent Russia in the east, thousands of refugees and migrants arriving daily in the south, terrorist attacks in Paris, the rise of nationalist parties and economies flailing skewing political debates—that NATO is trying to weather. Read More
Taiwanese troops following an undated exercise.
The Taiwanese presidential elections next month — with a change in party control expected and the likely announcement of a new billion-dollar U.S. arms sale to Taipei — will not only “send a signal to Beijing” but likely will, in the short run, increase tensions between Washington and the People’s Republic of China, a panel of experts on the region said Wednesday. Read More
USS Ross (DDG 71) takes part in a ship formation, to begin At Sea Demonstration 2015 (ASD 15) on Oct. 18, 2015. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated to include additional information from the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin.
The U.S. Navy and eight other countries are successfully working through an international detect-to-engage integrated air and missile defense exercise off the coast of Scotland, proving their platforms and people could integrate to provide missile defense in Europe. Read More
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PEARL HARBOR (Sept. 3, 2015) Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet on Sept. 3, 2015. US Navy Photo
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — Senior U.S. and Australian defense officials have again spoken out against unilateral actions to bolster territorial claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea. Read More
The increased presence of Russian forces in Syria has added another layer of complexity to an already confusing array of warring factions—a good estimate is that 18 to 20 factions now are fighting for one cause or another in Syria. The Russians assuming an active role in the Syrian battle space took the United States by surprise. For many American political, military, and media voices it is evident that Russia’s recent actions stuck a nerve. Read More
Russian icebreaker Yamal, Canadian icebreaker Louis S. St. Laurent and the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea rendezvous near the North Pole in 1994. US Coast Guard Photo
“It’s very important to have Russia on board” when looking at the Arctic from an environmental, economic and security standpoint, the former commandant of the Coast Guard said Tuesday at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. Read More
The following is the March 19, 2015 letter from the chairmen and ranking members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees to Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and Secretary of State John Kerry calling for a comprehensive U.S. strategy to address Chinese actions in the East China and South China seas. Read More
The following is the Feb. 11, 2015 Congressional Research Service report, “The ‘Islamic State’ Crisis and U.S. Policy.” Read More
By cutting through some of the noise surrounding the most recent debate over Iran — spurred by Benjamin Netanyahu’s pending speech before Congress — two schools of thought emerge that fall into the classic geopolitical camps of hawks and doves. Read More
