France
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Expanded Valiant Shield 2024 highlights advanced warfighting capabilities in Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff A series of firsts marked Valiant Shield 2024. The 12-day biennial exercise in Guam, Japan, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau and other Indo-Pacific locations allowed the United States and Allies and Partners to focus on interoperability in a multidomain environment. The exercise prepared forces to rapidly respond to crises and contingencies across a spectrum of operations from humanitarian…
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Features
Transregional Commitments to the Indo-Pacific
Forum Staff With deepening power competition, population shifts and growing economies in the Indo-Pacific, global stakeholders are refining, and in many cases expanding, their strategic investments and presence in the region. Many now count a Free and Open Indo-Pacific as vital to their own geopolitical and economic success. “The vast majority of countries throughout the region have rallied around the…
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Across The Region
Fiji, France Agree to Expand Defense Cooperation
Fiji and France reached a defense agreement in August 2023 covering technology research, training, logistical support, and emergency and humanitarian assistance. The Status of Forces Agreement “provides a framework for cooperation and assistance through military exchanges and the sharing of expertise between the Republic of Fiji Military Force and the Defence Force of the French Republic,” the Fiji Prime Minister’s…
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Northeast Asia
PLA’s dangerous moves seek to shield North Korea from sanctions enforcement
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) recent “unsafe and unprofessional” intercept of a Royal Australian Navy helicopter highlights a pattern of dangerous maneuvers aimed at sanctions enforcers. Beijing supported United Nations sanctions to deter North Korea’s destabilizing nuclear and weapons programs, but has undermined the international measures by allowing violators to use Chinese infrastructure and territorial waters to…
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Partnerships
Balikatan 2024 builds Philippine-U.S. interoperability, multilateral partnerships
Maria T. Reyes Philippine and United States troops kicked off their largest annual combat drills in late April 2024, joined by participants from Australia and France and observers from Brunei, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Exercise Balikatan, a Tagalog word meaning shoulder to shoulder, is among the…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Russia’s arms sales plummet as India, others seek new suppliers
FORUM Staff Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine continues to impose a heavy toll on Moscow beyond the battlefield, as international sanctions bite into the regime’s arms exports and qualms about quality and reliability prompt longtime customers in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere to seek new weapons suppliers. Moscow’s arms exports plummeted by 53% over the past decade, dropping Russia out of…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
European air forces joining Indo-Pacific defense exercises, signaling regional commitment
Gusty Da Costa The air forces of France, Germany and Spain are headed to the Indo-Pacific in 2024 to participate in defense exercises and strengthen relations and interoperability with regional militaries. The deployments are also a demonstration to nations such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of Europe’s commitment to the region and support for freedom of navigation and…
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