Foreign Partner Cooperation
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Partnerships
Philippines: ‘Stronger security cooperation’ with Japan essential for regional peace
Benar News The Philippines’ top diplomat said stronger security ties with Japan are essential for peace in the Indo-Pacific region, as he advocated for enhancing Philippine defenses because of “repeated infringements on our sovereignty.” Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo’s comments in mid-May 2023 underscored the security challenges that both nations face from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Manila and Tokyo…
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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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Oceania
Indo-Pacific military personnel learn skills, build relationships at Pacific Defender exchange
FORUM Staff Pacific Defender exchanges improve interoperability and build relationships among military and security personnel from Indo-Pacific nations and elsewhere. The tutorials and discussions during the five-day program in early May 2023 in Honolulu, Hawaii, served to enhance regional security. The gathering at the United States military’s Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam involved military personnel from Canada and New Zealand. The…
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Global Commons
Indo-Pacific nations lead U.N. peacekeeping efforts
FORUM Staff Indo-Pacific countries have become top contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide, and their accomplishments and sacrifices will be honored along with those of other nations on International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers. On May 29, the U.N. recognizes military personnel, police officers and civilians who have helped nations torn by conflict, including the thousands who died doing so.…
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Northeast Asia
G7 urges PRC to press Russia to end war in Ukraine, respect Taiwan’s status
The Associated Press The Group of Seven leading industrial nations urged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to pressure its strategic partner Russia to end its war on Ukraine, while also calling on Beijing to resolve territorial disputes peacefully. In a joint statement issued during their May 2023 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, G7 leaders emphasized that they were seeking “constructive and…
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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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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Aging ships deliver sanctioned oil on shadowy missions
FORUM Staff A deadly explosion aboard the tanker ship Pablo has illuminated the growing “dark fleet” of older vessels that transports sanctioned crude oil and refined products such as diesel and jet fuel. The first of what has swelled to more than 600 such ships, many of them years past their prime, began ferrying the cargo when Western nations banned…
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Across The Region
Philippines, Singapore Affirm Defense Ties, Maritime Stability
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. concluded a two-nation Southeast Asian tour in Singapore in September 2022, where he and government leaders agreed to boost counterterrorism cooperation and affirmed the importance of peace in the South China Sea. Marcos arrived in Singapore after a state visit to Indonesia — his first foreign trip as president since his May 2022 election. Marcos,…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
French Navy frigate Prairial concludes Indo-Pacific mission
FORUM Staff The French Navy frigate Prairial’s monthslong patrol and goodwill mission to the Indo-Pacific reinforced France’s commitment to regional security, freedom of navigation and the international rule of law. The 94-meter, Floreal-class warship with about 100 personnel left Papeete, the capital of Tahiti in French Polynesia, on February 21, 2023, and was scheduled to return May 18. The frigate…
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Northeast Asia
Japan, South Korea strengthen defense, supply chain cooperation
Marc Jacob Prosser Japan and South Korea are working together in key areas including defense and supply chain resilience. Through formal agreements and increased dialogue, their governments are sharing intelligence and cooperating on technology trade security, officials and analysts said. “There is an increasing need for [South] Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time of a polycrisis, with North…
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