Free and Open Indo-Pacific / FOIP
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Features
Island Security
FORUM Staff Papua New Guinea (PNG) celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from Australia on September 16, 2025. Buildings will be draped in the national colors of red, black and gold and expect a ceremonial flag-raising; parades; sporting events; and cultural festivals with music, dances and costumes. Rehearsals began in 2023 when the country’s Department of Personnel Management urged…
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Features
Stronger Together
FORUM Staff Sri Lanka’s emergence from its economic crisis demonstrates the growing ability of Indo-Pacific partners to collectively accomplish herculean tasks in short order. The Indian Ocean nation was reeling in 2022 with soaring food, medicine and fuel prices, widespread financial uncertainty, and political disarray when France, India, Japan and the United States rallied to its aid. With restructured debt,…
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Features
Free, Open, Prosperous
Indo-Pacific populations have woven democratic norms — including transparent, accountable and inclusive governance under the rule of law — into the region’s cultural fabric. Japan established its first representative government in the late 19th century, nearly a century before its modern constitution, supplanting the intervening military rule, proclaimed that “sovereign power resides with the people.” South Korean civil society, including…
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Features
Timeline of the United States Indo-Pacific Command
RANA LYNN KENNEDY/COMMAND HISTORIAN Since its founding in 1947, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) has maintained an enduring presence in the region and a consistent strategy for building alliances and partnerships. USINDOPACOM’s response to the region’s changing security landscape over nearly eight decades of commitment reveals how the U.S. and its Allies and Partners have strengthened ties by managing conflicts,…
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Indo-Pacific View
Dear Readers, Welcome to the 50th anniversary edition of Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM. For five decades, FORUM has chronicled the evolution of military, political and socioeconomic forces transforming the regional and global security environment. During this half-century, the United States, its Allies and Partners have expanded and strengthened their relationships under the shared belief that we are never stronger than we…
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Features
Maritime Maneuvers
FORUM Staff Ukraine, in its fight against Russia’s illegal invasion, is showcasing a military asset that could benefit Taiwan. To maintain a Free and Open Indo-Pacific and to deter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military from invading the self-governed island, experts say Taiwan should track Ukraine’s use of uncrewed surface vessels (USV), called sea or maritime drones, and the damage…
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Features
Swarm Storm
FORUM Staff Great Britain and the United States developed the first pilotless vehicles during World War I. Britain tested its Aerial Target, a small radio-controlled aircraft, in March 1917 and the U.S. Kettering Bug, an aerial torpedo, flew its maiden voyage in October 1918, according to the London-based Imperial War Museums Institute. Both showed promise in tests, but neither flew…
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Features
Arctic Aggression
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is not an Arctic nation. Its northern border is nearly 1,500 kilometers from the Arctic Circle and even farther from the Arctic Ocean. Yet the PRC is encroaching upon the frozen region to control its vast resources and exploit the strategic location for economic and potentially military purposes. The PRC arbitrarily declared…
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Features
Cobra Gold 2024
FORUM Staff Cobra Gold 2024 took multilateral cooperation to new heights with 30 nations engaging in or observing key training activities ranging from land, maritime and air drills to space and cyber exercises, humanitarian efforts and cultural exchanges. “We have expanded the scope of military operations to address the full spectrum of threats across all domains,” Gen. Songwit Noonpackdee, defense…
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Across The Region
Japan Assists Malaysia with Maritime Security
Japan and Malaysia have signed an assistance deal that includes a $2.8 million grant to boost Malaysia’s maritime security as Indo-Pacific nations seek to counter an increasingly assertive People’s Republic of China (PRC). Japan will provide equipment such as rescue boats and supplies under the agreement, signed by the countries’ foreign ministers in December 2023 on the sidelines of a…
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