Australia
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indo-Pacific allies, partners preserve navigational rights, ensure secure, open global sea lines of communication
FORUM Staff The United States and its allies and partners continue engaging in maritime security activities to safeguard international waters and key global sea lines of communication (SLOCs). Thailand and the U.S., for example, conducted the 29th Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)/Marine Exercise (MAREX) Thailand in May 2023, which included five days of drills in anti-submarine warfare; visit, board,…
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Partnerships
LANPAC bolsters connections among Indo-Pacific armed forces
FORUM Staff The Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium & Exhibition drew more than 1,700 military personnel, academics, and security and defense professionals to Honolulu, Hawaii, in mid-May 2023. The event, in its 10th year, highlights the role of land forces throughout the Indo-Pacific. Participants and attendees included delegations from more than 25 nations, and army chiefs from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Japan,…
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Partnerships
Australian Bushmasters boost Indonesian Army’s peacekeeping, modernization efforts
Gusty Da Costa The addition of 15 Bushmaster armored vehicles from Australia will support Indonesia’s defense modernization while boosting interoperability between the nations’ armed forces and highlighting the strong defense ties between the comprehensive strategic partners, officials said. Provided under a $19.4 million grant from Canberra, the Bushmasters will include 13 troop carriers, one command unit and one ambulance unit,…
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Global Commons
Vanuatu cyclone relief: Australia provides personnel, supplies, hope
Tom Abke Australia reacted quickly when a pair of tropical cyclones ripped through Vanuatu in early March 2023, leaving at least 10% of the country’s residents homeless and severely damaging schools and hospitals. Hundreds of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel spent most of March on the Pacific archipelago, assessing damage, distributing supplies and rebuilding infrastructure. The Australian government contributed over…
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Oceania
Papua New Guinea Defence Force training focuses on Women, Peace & Security
FORUM Staff The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) provided specialized training in March 2023 aimed at reducing gender-based violence, incorporating gender perspectives and recognizing gender-specific security needs. At the request of the PNGDF Gender Committee, the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Office of Women, Peace & Security (WPS) designed, developed and led the Gender Focal Point course. It was…
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Oceania
Australia plans major defense overhaul to deter CCP military buildup
The Associated Press Australia must raise defense spending, make its own munitions and develop long-range missiles to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military buildup, according to a government-commissioned report released in late-April 2023. The Defense Strategic Review supports the partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, known as AUKUS, which in March 2023 announced an agreement…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
PLA suspected of targeting passenger planes with GPS jamming
FORUM Staff Chinese warships are suspected of jamming navigation systems and interfering with radio communications of passenger aircraft over the South China Sea and other international waters, the latest in the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) litany of brazen and reckless interactions in the skies and seas across the Indo-Pacific. Australia’s largest airline carrier, Qantas Group, warned in mid-March 2023 that…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indo-Pacific allies, partners protect freedom of navigation
FORUM Staff To preserve the global maritime commons, the United States and its allies and partners are prepared to defend international waters in this era of long-term strategic competition. In collaboration with allies and partners, U.S. forces will protect national freedoms and impose costs on adversaries by lawfully denying the transport of war-supporting shipments through key global sea lines of…
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Partnerships
Australia, Philippines respond to regional security threats with stronger bilateral ties
Maria T. Reyes Recent security developments have prompted Australia and the Philippines to enhance their defense cooperation. “The Philippines and Australia believe in the importance of collaboration among like-minded security partners to achieve a collective security and defense … in the region, where nations could freely exercise their sovereign rights while pursuing stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and the…
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Partnerships
AUKUS submarine deal promotes regional stability, counters Chinese influence
FORUM Staff An arrangement for Australia to acquire conventionally armed, nuclear-power submarines (SSN) through a trilateral alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States will uphold the highest non-proliferation standard and deliver on a commitment to enhance deterrence and promote stability in the Indo-Pacific, the White House announced in March 2023. New details of the deal emerged following an…
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