-
Climate
Renewable Forces
On the evening of November 21, 1918 — 10 days after the signing of the armistice that ended World War I — British War Cabinet member George Curzon presided at a dinner honoring the Inter-Allied Petroleum Conference. Toasting the delegates gathered in London, Curzon declared that the Allies had “floated to victory on a wave of oil” due to their…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
COTS Devices Pass Muster
Once dismissed as inferior technology, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices such as aerial and maritime drones, secure mobile phones and GPS instruments are helping Ukraine counter Russia’s assault and drawing increased interest from militaries worldwide, including in the Indo-Pacific. A relatively small percentage of the equipment that Ukraine has used against Russian invaders is inexpensive, publicly available and quickly accessible. Aerial…
Read More -
Global Commons
Guam cyber resilience event launches whole-of-government effort to protect critical infrastructure
FORUM Staff In the wake of a multinational, multi-agency disclosure that malicious computer code was discovered in telecommunications systems serving Guam and other strategic United States locations, cybersecurity experts are working to bolster resilience in the U.S. territory and beyond. The malware is linked to a group of Chinese Communist Party-backed cyber criminals dubbed Volt Typhoon by U.S. tech company…
Read More -
Across The Region
Australia to Boost Defense With Purchase of Advanced Systems
Australia will boost its defense capabilities by spending more than U.S. $700 million on advanced missile and rocket systems, including the United States-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which is proving crucial in enabling Ukrainian forces to hit key Russian targets. The Australian government said in January 2023 that the HIMARS will include launchers, missiles and training rockets, and…
Read More -
Conflicts - Tensions
The CCP’s Political Warfare
Professor Kerry K. Gershaneck The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is waging existential warfare against the rest of the world. It is a war for global control, and the CCP aspires to win it without fighting — or at least without having to engage in major kinetic combat. The key to the CCP’s strategy is to ensure that target countries cannot…
Read More -
Across The Region
Vanuatu, Australia Sign Security Agreement
Vanuatu signed a broad security agreement with Australia in December 2022 and said it hadn’t discussed a similar arrangement or any security issues with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The pact, signed in the Pacific Island Country’s (PIC) capital, Port Vila, covers an extensive range of areas for cooperation, from disaster relief to policing, defense and cybersecurity. “As nations…
Read More -
Across The Region
U.S. Forces Expand Space Unit in South Korea
U.S. Forces Korea launched a new space forces unit in December 2022 as allies South Korea and the United States ramp up efforts to counter North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. U.S. Space Forces Korea is an overseas component of the U.S. Space Force and is tasked with detecting and tracking incoming missiles, as well as bolstering the military’s…
Read More -
Across The Region
Japan’s Leader Vows Deeper Defense Alliance with U.S.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in January 2023 pledged to deepen his country’s alliance with the United States under Japan’s new defense policy, which significantly enhances its exclusively self-defense stance in the face of growing regional tensions. Kishida’s comments came ahead of his mid-January visit to Washington, D.C., for talks with U.S. President Joe Biden to underscore the strength of…
Read More -
Features
Modern Movement
Gusty Da Costa Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Muhammad Herindra has served as Indonesian deputy defense minister under President Joko Widodo since December 2020. As a senior Army officer, he served as chief of the General Staff of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, as well as commander of the Army Special Forces Kopassus in 2015 and commander of the Regional Military Command…
Read More -
Departments
Japan launching defense tech research agency, advancing railgun project
FORUM Staff Japan plans to create a research agency by 2024 to accelerate defense technology development. The agency will be modeled after the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and its Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), according to Shigenori Mishima, vice commissioner and chief technology officer at Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. DARPA is the U.S. Defense Department’s…
Read More