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Partnerships
Singapore to permanently station F-35B fighter jets at U.S. base
FORUM Staff Singapore will permanently station 12 F-35B fifth-generation stealth fighter jets at a United States military base beginning in late 2026, expanding a decades-long partnership that includes the U.S. hosting Singaporean fighter jet detachments for training and exercises. Singapore, densely populated with 6.2 million residents in a land area of less than 750 square kilometers, has limited space for…
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Conflicts - Tensions
North Korea, Russia evade U.N. sanctions to buttress Moscow’s drone
FORUM Staff North Korea has sent workers to Russia to manufacture military drones, violating United Nations Security Council resolutions, an international monitoring team reported, noting the number of North Koreans working in Russia has sharply increased since Moscow’s war with Ukraine began in 2022. Overall, an estimated 100,000 North Korean laborers are deployed overseas, mostly to China and Russia, the…
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Global Commons
China biggest state-backed cyber threat to New Zealand, security agency says
Reuters New Zealand’s cybersecurity agency says China is the country’s most persistent state-backed cyber threat, as foreign actors target government agencies and health, education and information technology organizations. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of the New Zealand intelligence community, said it identified illicit activity, suspected of originating from foreign state actors, that put sensitive national information at risk.…
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Partnerships
Defense forces boost interoperability in ASEAN-led disaster response drills
1st Lt. Maddy Gonzalez and Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Hughes/U.S. Army Defense personnel from 19 countries took part in the major disaster response drill Exercise Trident Resolve 2026 hosted by Indonesia in September. It was the first field training under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) framework to integrate cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster response…
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Global Commons
ROK’s cruise missile capabilities offer model for Southeast Asia
Felix Kim The Republic of Korea (ROK) has built one of the Indo-Pacific’s most capable land-based cruise missile arsenals over the past few decades, offering a template for Southeast Asian defense forces seeking to field coastal strike networks amid China’s growing assertiveness and maritime incursions. Supported by longtime ally the United States, Seoul has developed successive generations of cruise missiles…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore deepen integrated defense of vital maritime choke points
Sarah Chan Southeast Asian partners are moving beyond routine maritime patrols to an integrated defense of the Malacca and Singapore straits, critical conduits for global trade. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are expanding coast guard coordination, intelligence sharing and surveillance technology cooperation to counter piracy, illicit shipping and terrorism along the maritime choke points. At the 17th Co-operation Forum in Singapore…
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Partnerships
India, Indonesia, Japan exploring trilateral defense framework
Mandeep Singh India, Indonesia and Japan are setting the foundation for a trilateral defense framework, another sign of a regional shift toward flexible minilateral security arrangements that operate alongside existing alliance structures. The move gained momentum with the August 2026 meeting between Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi in India, which followed Japanese Prime Minister…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indonesia’s Navy, defense industry to develop, deploy uncrewed submersibles
FORUM Staff The Indonesian Navy will work with the nation’s defense industry to design uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUV) to overcome the vast archipelago’s maritime surveillance and security challenges. Adm. Muhammad Ali, the Navy’s chief of staff, said UUVs can navigate Indonesia’s narrow, strategically critical straits and choke points, such as those connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans. They also can…
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Northeast Asia
Japan, ROK, U.S. boost interoperability, deterrence in Freedom Edge exercise
FORUM Staff Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States strengthened interoperability and force readiness to bolster Indo-Pacific deterrence during the Freedom Edge drills in September 2026. The multidomain exercise, a cornerstone of the trilateral defense architecture, emphasized cyber defense coordination and medical training. The exercise took place across international waters and airspace south and east of the…
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Partnerships
Poland seeks stronger partnerships with Philippines, ROK
Reuters Poland is seeking more defense partnerships with the Philippines after completing the delivery of Black Hawk helicopters to Manila in August 2026. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, who was in Manila for bilateral talks, said Poland is investing nearly $50 billion in its defense industry. He said the nation could sell reconnaissance and combat drones, radar equipment, anti-aircraft…
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