Australia
-
Global Commons
Australia first to buy long-range, high-speed, air-to-air missile made in U.S.
FORUM Staff Australia will be the first nation to buy the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), a highly classified air-to-air weapon built in the United States that Canberra can use to counter China’s long-range PL-15 and PL-17 missiles. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the purchase at the international Pitch Black air combat exercise in Darwin in August 2026.…
Read More -
Global Commons
Australia solidifies role as Pacific island region’s largest aid provider, report says
FORUM Staff Australia has become the largest aid provider to the Pacific island region, according to the latest Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map, which features data from 2008 through 2024. Australia provided about $1.5 billion, or 37%, of all development spending in the Pacific islands in 2024. The report covers Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,…
Read More -
Oceania
Pitch Black strengthens Australia-Japan interoperability, sees debut of India fighter jets
AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE DEPARTMENT Australia and Japan strengthened airborne early warning and control capabilities in one of the Indo-Pacific’s largest international air combat exercises for Exercise Pitch Black. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) E-7A Wedgetail worked with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) E-2D Hawkeye and a mobile control and reporting unit to enhance integration on the ground and in…
Read More -
Partnerships
Indo-Pacific partners accelerating missile defense cooperation
Peter Parson Allies and Partners increasingly are cooperating on missile defense capabilities, an initiative underscored by China’s destabilizing test-launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) into South Pacific waters. “The Indo-Pacific region is so large, no single partner can possibly hope to maintain the whole range of systems necessary to defend it alone,” Mike Bosack, founder of the Parley Policy…
Read More -
Partnerships
Indo-Pacific engineering summit builds multinational partnerships
U.S. Pacific Air Forces With the emphasis on unity and partnership, the Indo-Pacific Unity Allies and Partners Engineer Summit (IPU APES) drew nearly 200 military leaders from 10 countries for its 2026 iteration at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, in July 2026. The summit, hosted by the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), fosters collaboration and coordination among engineering leaders,…
Read More -
Oceania
Exercise Pitch Black spotlights multinational air combat capabilities
FORUM Staff From single-engine turboprops to supersonic stealth fighters and multirole tankers, 100 aircraft descended on northern Australia in late July 2026 for one of the world’s most complex and demanding air combat exercises. The biennial Pitch Black, hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for more than 40 years, features assets and more than 2,500 personnel from 21…
Read More -
Partnerships
Allies, Partners expanding Indo-Pacific security network
Peter Parson Security cooperation across the Indo-Pacific is becoming increasingly integrated as defense forces transform traditional alliances. Expanded intelligence sharing, reciprocal access agreements (RAA), multinational exercises and minilateral partnerships are enabling countries such as Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to respond more effectively to shared security challenges, while strengthening collective deterrence with their mutual ally…
Read More -
Illicit Activity
Across Indo-Pacific, countering cybercrime increasingly seen as national security mission
Mandeep Singh Once viewed primarily as a law enforcement challenge, cybercrime is increasingly seen as a national security risk. Nations across the Indo-Pacific are responding with whole-of-government strategies encompassing intelligence operations, border security, financial sanctions, international partnerships and, in some cases, military engagement. In Southeast Asia, crime syndicates, militia groups and other corrupt actors have joined to control areas where…
Read More -
Oceania
Australia’s patrol boat program bolsters Maldives’ maritime security
FORUM Staff The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) received a major upgrade to its maritime capabilities with the delivery of a patrol boat from Australia, the 24th vessel gifted to partner nations under Canberra’s Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP). The Guardian-class boat docked in the northern Indian Ocean nation in June 2026 after an 11-day, 6,000-kilometer journey from western Australia,…
Read More -
Partnerships
Exercise RIMPAC 2026 features uncrewed vessels, other emerging technologies
FORUM Staff The 30th iteration of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), hosted biennially in and around the Hawaiian Islands by the United States Navy’s Pacific Fleet (PACFLT), provides an opportunity to evaluate innovations such as uncrewed maritime vessels and 3D printers under realistic conditions. Experimentation is a major part of the five-week multilateral exercise, which runs through July 2026.…
Read More
