Australia
-
Partnerships
Indo-Pacific Endeavour links Australia with Allies and Partners for military exercises, training
FORUM Staff Legal workshops on security issues hosted in Sri Lanka recently kicked off Indo-Pacific Endeavour 24 (IPE), Australia’s five-month engagement involving 14 countries across Southeast Asia and the northeast Indian Ocean. Australian ships, aircraft and personnel deployed to individual countries for military exercises, training, workshops, and cultural and athletic activities. IPE, which runs from August to December 2024, covers…
Read More -
Global Commons
Philippine Air Force strengthens regional security role with historic participation in Pitch Black 2024
Maria T. Reyes Amid tensions in the South China Sea, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) is strategically enhancing its capabilities as part of the nation’s military modernization. A key step was its participation in the recent Australia-led Pitch Black exercise, marking the PAF’s first overseas air asset deployment. The engagement underscores Manila’s commitment to regional security and interoperability with Allies…
Read More -
Global Commons
Royal Australian Navy’s new missile bolsters defense capabilities, deterrence
FORUM Staff The Royal Australian Navy has successfully test-fired the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), an advanced long-range missile with multiple capabilities that reflects the Australian government’s commitment to enhancing deterrence. Sailors aboard the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney launched the versatile weapon during exercise Pacific Dragon near Hawaii in August 2024. Adding the SM-6 to the Navy’s arsenal is a “significant milestone”…
Read More -
Features
Advancing Space Partnerships
Lt. Stephen Schroeder/U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Command Joint Integrated Space Team Pacific The United States and its Allies and Partners are at the forefront of an emerging era of opportunity. Space’s critical role in the global commons has gained considerable attention in recent years, and the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) guidance has never been clearer: “Space is now a…
Read More -
Features
Trained, Prepared, Forward
FORUM Staff A helicopter hovers within arm’s reach of a Soldier astride a howitzer. Dust and rain lash New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and United States Army personnel under storm-darkened skies and thundering aircraft at Helemano Military Reservation, Hawaii. Sling load training, one facet of the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) drills occurring across the archipelago’s eight main islands, demonstrates…
Read More -
Partnerships
France, Philippines deepen defense cooperation amid Indo-Pacific tensions
Maria T. Reyes A French Air and Space Force contingent on the Pegase 2024 mission stopped in the Philippines for the first time in July as part of France’s annual Indo-Pacific deployment to demonstrate combat power and air diplomacy. France and the Philippines have been steadily increasing their security engagements and deepening their defense ties. In recent months, the nations…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Beijing spreads manipulated message; Philippines, Allies and Partners strengthen security
FORUM Staff With the People’s Republic of China (PRC) facing international opposition to its coercion campaign in the South China Sea, its operatives are trying to change the narrative by amplifying a debunked deepfake video. The latest high-tech hoax targeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — a discredited clip that purports to show Marcos using an illicit drug — was…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Shared vision, common purpose propel responsible military partners
FORUM Staff Transparency, trust, communication, and respect for global rules and norms are hallmarks of responsible military partners, defense leaders said during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational exercise. “I would say trust is a key part of it, but it’s the communication that is critical,” Royal Australian Navy Cmdr. David “Billy” Maddison, commanding officer of the guided-missile…
Read More -
Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Australia’s Indian Ocean islands considered for U.S. military enhancements
Reuters Remote Australian islands near an Indian Ocean chokepoint are among the possible locations for United States military construction to deter the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Cocos Islands are listed along with Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor-Leste for potential construction projects under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, designed to enhance U.S. force posture and infrastructure to counter…
Read More -
Northeast Asia
Allies, partners enhance all-domain readiness with military exercises across Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff More than 30 allied and partner militaries deployed personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, uncrewed vehicles and other assets across the Indo-Pacific in mid-2024. The multinational, near-simultaneous exercises Pitch Black, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) and Valiant Shield stretched from Oceania and the Western Pacific to Northeast Asia. Tens of thousands of troops joined the all-domain training to build interoperability…
Read More