Freedom of Navigation (FON)

  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga leads regional deployment

    Tom Abke The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigate HMAS Warramunga is conducting the nation’s first Indo-Pacific regional presence deployment of 2024. The Anzac-class, long-range frigate can conduct air defense, surface and subsurface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, and interdiction missions. During the three-month deployment, which runs through April, the Warramunga’s 200 crew members and assets, including an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, are…

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  • Across The Region

    Indo-Pacific Partners

    National security advisors for Japan, the Philippines and the United States held their first joint talks in June 2023 and agreed to strengthen defense cooperation, as Indo-Pacific partners reinforce their alliances to address growing tensions over North Korea, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The three officials discussed the “turbulent regional security environment and…

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  • Across The Region

    Protecting Sea Lines of Communication

    The oceans and seas that dominate the Indo-Pacific present a challenge of immense proportions to safeguarding sovereignty and upholding freedom of navigation and commerce — an obstacle that military planners call the “tyranny of distance.” Increasingly, satellites, sensors, uncrewed aerial and surface vessels, and other technologies — combined with comprehensive information-sharing endeavors among like-minded nations — are key to bridging…

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  • Features

    Upholding International Norms in the Skies

    FORUM Staff A People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) fighter jet intercepted a Canadian Armed Forces CP-140 Aurora aircraft multiple times in international airspace in October 2023 in a “dangerous and reckless” manner, yet another example of Beijing’s disregard for freedom of navigation and aircrew safety, officials said. Such unsafe and unprofessional activities risk midair collisions and escalation. The nonstandard intercepts…

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  • Features

    Shared Vision

    FORUM Staff Deterring war is the main reason to prepare for war, Gen. Romeo Brawner, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, told FORUM on the sidelines of the May 2023 Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium & Exposition in Hawaii. Multilateral training and exercises are gaining headway with widespread acceptance among like-minded militaries throughout the Indo-Pacific, Brawner said…

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  • Northeast Asia

    Keen Edge 24 sharpens Australian, Japanese and U.S. defense skills

    FORUM Staff Australian Defence Force (ADF), Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and United States military personnel strengthened joint operational capabilities, refined command and control procedures, and enhanced interoperability during Keen Edge 24. Participants in the early February 2024 command post exercise, part of an annual bilateral series that alternates with Keen Sword field training exercises, used computer simulations to rehearse…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    Philippine Coast Guard accuses PRC of dangerous maneuvers

    Agence France-Presse The Philippine Coast Guard accused Chinese vessels of dangerous maneuvers in early February 2024 near a reef off the Philippine coast. The Philippine vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua was patrolling around Scarborough Shoal, delivering provisions to fishing crews and ensuring their safety. The shoal, a rich South China Sea fishing ground, is within the Philippines’ internationally recognized exclusive economic…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    Indian Navy pledges to ensure security amid piracy, rebel attacks

    FORUM Staff India’s growing naval presence in the Red Sea region reflects its commitment to safety and security along the vital trade route. New Delhi has surveillance aircraft and at least 12 vessels focused on preventing piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, Reuters news agency reported in late January 2024. A multinational coalition is working separately…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    Philippines, Vietnam expanding cooperation in South China Sea

    The Associated Press The Philippines and Vietnam signed agreements in late January 2024 to prevent incidents in the South China Sea and broaden cooperation between their coast guards in a growing alliance that will likely be frowned upon by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Beijing claims almost all of the strategic waterway in defiance of a 2016 international tribunal ruling that…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    ASEAN demonstrates solidarity as PRC drags feet on South China Sea code of conduct

    FORUM Staff Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members are reinforcing partnerships that uphold stability in the South China Sea. Recent diplomatic efforts come as an increasingly aggressive People’s Republic of China (PRC) claims decadeslong talks on a code of conduct (COC) for the crucial waterway are “going smoothly.” Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met…

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