Freedom of Navigation (FON)
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
New maritime laws signal Philippines’ resolve against PRC’s discredited claims
Maria T. Reyes The Philippines has taken another decisive step in asserting its sovereignty and maritime rights by enacting two new laws. The Maritime Zones Act and the Archipelagic Sea Lanes Act aim to strengthen the Philippines’ territorial claims, particularly in the South China Sea, while bolstering Manila’s economic and environmental stewardship of its waters. The legislation underscores the country’s…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Beijing extends its coercive campaign against neighbors
FORUM Staff Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders complain about a rules-based order in which Beijing did not make the rules. By refusing to accept international laws that protect the global economy and the security of his Indo-Pacific neighbors, CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping offers a preview of the authoritarian system he favors. Coercive CCP military activity in and around the…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
U.S., Allies, Partners enhance cooperative campaign to ensure secure sea passageways
FORUM Staff The United States and its Allies and Partners continue expanding Combined Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO) to keep vital waterways free and open worldwide. Allied and partner navies, air forces and armies are cooperating throughout the nearly two-year campaign to bolster security for sea lines of communication (SLOC) across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, including economically important choke points stretching…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
CCP coercion stands in stark contrast to Coast Guard cooperation by Allies and Partners
FORUM Staff An increasingly aggressive coast guard signals the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) willingness to risk escalation in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, analysts say. Meanwhile, like-minded nations are cooperating to uphold stability in the region. Rather than focusing on traditional law enforcement missions targeting smugglers or providing search and rescue, the CCP has militarized coast guard ships…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
South Korea enhances regional security role
FORUM Staff Seoul is reinforcing security partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and beyond as tensions flare in the economically important South China Sea and North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations persist. South Korea upgraded ties with the Philippines and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in October 2024. Singapore and Seoul signed agreements on supply chain and liquefied natural gas…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Amid threats, like-minded nations boost effort to keep sea lanes open for trade, security
FORUM Staff The United States and its Allies and Partners have reiterated that waterways are vital to worldwide shipping and must remain open. To that end the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and others are stepping up the Combined Joint All-Domain Operations (CJADO) campaign, an international initiative committed to preserving the safe movement of cargo and…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Canadian, U.S. navies sail through Taiwan Strait days after CCP war games
Reuters Canadian and United States naval ships transited the international waters of the Taiwan Strait in mid-October 2024, less than a week after the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military conducted war games around the self-governed island. The U.S. Navy, occasionally joined by ships of Allies and Partners, sails through the strait about once a month. The CCP claims Taiwan as…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
At Malabar 2024, Quad nations promote maritime order for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff Australian, Indian, Japanese and United States naval forces concluded Exercise Malabar 2024 in mid-October with drills in the Bay of Bengal to promote the Allies and Partners’ collective planning and integration of advanced warfare tactics to ensure a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. The 28th iteration of the exercise combined training in surface, subsurface, air and information domains, and…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Philippines, Allies launch Sama Sama naval drills as regional tensions simmer
Reuters The Armed Forces of the Philippines and five other countries participated in joint naval exercises off the coast of the Philippines’ northern Luzon island facing Taiwan in a display of naval strength amid rising tensions with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Called Sama Sama, which means togetherness, the October 2024 drills involved almost a thousand Sailors and personnel…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Quad leaders to expand maritime security cooperation in face of PRC aggression
FORUM Staff Australia, India, Japan and the United States will launch joint Coast Guard patrols in the Indo-Pacific in 2025. The enhanced security cooperation will improve interoperability and boost maritime safety, the leaders of the four member nations of the Quadrilateral partnership, or Quad, announced after their late September 2024 summit in the U.S. The initial Quad-at-Sea Ship Observer Mission…
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