Key Issues
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Bangladesh, Sri Lanka expand partnerships to strengthen maritime security
Mandeep Singh As strategic competition intensifies across the Indian Ocean region, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are expanding international partnerships to boost maritime domain awareness, secure critical trade lanes and combat…
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Australia, Philippines connect defense infrastructure, training, operations
Maria T. Reyes Australia and the Philippines are developing a more integrated defense partnership, driven by Manila’s military modernization and a shared commitment to strengthening regional security. Eight Australia-supported defense…
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Disaster preparedness bolsters civilian, military response
By Stephane (Steve) Castonguay/U.S. Pacific Command’s Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance The next crisis in the Indo-Pacific may arrive with little warning. It could be a…
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U.S. seeks deeper ties with ASEAN built on self-reliance
FORUM Staff, wire report United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth outlined an agenda of cooperation with Southeast Asian Allies and Partners — an agenda built on self-reliant nations who…
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Beijing’s unauthorized buoys are maritime hazards
FORUM Staff In November 2024, a cylindrical steel buoy washed ashore in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province. The 5-meter-wide, multiton device carried a Lidar meteorological and wave-sensing array with heavy mooring…
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New Zealand partners with South Pacific neighbors to enhance maritime security
FORUM Staff New Zealand is expanding its maritime surveillance support to South Pacific partners, including with a monthlong deployment of uncrewed surface vessels (USV) to counter drug smuggling, illegal fishing…
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Multinational Keen Sword drills focus on Japan’s southwestern archipelago
FORUM Staff Keen Sword, a Japan-United States biennial exercise that has grown into a multinational event, enhanced readiness and interoperability among forces while prioritizing the longtime allies’ joint operations. The…
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Philippine Coast Guard bolsters surveillance with turboprop planes from U.S.
FORUM Staff The United States will transfer three turboprop planes equipped for maritime domain awareness operations to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), the latest initiative by the longtime allies to…
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Despite neutrality claims, Beijing and Moscow support Iran’s war, inflicting collateral costs on Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff The Iran war, intensified and prolonged with support from China and Russia, is affecting innocent people worldwide, especially in South and Southeast Asia. Though Beijing and Moscow claim…
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Japan, U.S. to establish missile production facility in Japan
The Associated Press Japan and the United States will coproduce medium-range, air-to-air missiles at a new facility in Japan, defense leaders said. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi announced the plan…
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