Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
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PACAF sets theater with prepositioned materiel
U.S. Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is moving prepositioned materiel into key locations throughout the U.S. Pacific Command area of responsibility. This effort, central to the U.S.…
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U.S. Coast Guard deploys fast-response cutters to Pacific
FORUM Staff Reassigning six United States Coast Guard fast-response cutters to the Western Pacific enhances the service’s posture in a vast maritime region illegally and aggressively claimed by China. The…
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Drone boat approaches, videos Chinese destroyer in Philippines EEZ
Reuters A small uncrewed boat sailed close enough to a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) guided-missile destroyer in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in June 2026 to capture…
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Antelope Reef transformation another step in Beijing’s destructive South China Sea activities
FORUM Staff Beijing’s development of Antelope Reef in the Paracel Islands is the latest example of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) attempts to project power across the South China Sea.…
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Philippines positioned to lead maritime liberty safeguards, defense chief says
FORUM Staff On the 10th anniversary of an international tribunal’s ruling invalidating China’s expansive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, Manila is presenting itself as “the archipelagic sentinel —…
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Indonesian Navy bolstering dual-purpose assets
Gusty Da Costa When the Indonesian Navy’s new hydro-oceanographic survey vessel, KRI Canopus, docked at the Kolinlamil Pier in North Jakarta in May 2026, the welcoming party of defense and…
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South China Sea arbitral award remains cornerstone of sovereignty, international law 10 years later
Lt. Col. Richard J. Connaroe II/U.S. Army 8th Theater Sustainment Command On March 24, 2026, the China Coast Guard (CCG) declared “clearing operations” at Scarborough Reef, broadcasting coordinates by live…
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Coast guards assume growing role in Indo-Pacific security architecture
Gusty Da Costa In the decade since defense analysts introduced the concept known as “the era of the coast guards,” the Indo-Pacific’s maritime law enforcement organizations have assumed expanded roles…
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ASEAN’s maritime patrols seek formal status, highlight collaborative benefits
FORUM Staff Southeast Asian coast guard and maritime patrol leaders want to establish their nations’ missions as an official sector of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Formal recognition…
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U.S. Coast Guard will base new icebreakers in Alaska
Sentry The United States Coast Guard will station its new Arctic Security Cutters (ASC) closer to where the next-generation medium icebreakers will operate. Finland’s Rauma Marine Constructions will deliver the…
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