Global Commons
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Features
Modern Militaries, Reinforced Alliances
FORUM Staff Technology is strengthening militaries tasked with maintaining security and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Rapidly modernizing nations are transforming arsenals with advancements from cutting-edge aircraft and game-changing submarines to unmanned vehicles, space awareness tools and cyber defense upgrades. Meanwhile, security partnerships are encouraging scientific cooperation among like-minded militaries, and leaders are relying on the power of regional alliances to…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Implications of PLA Modernization
FORUM Staff The rise of an assertive People’s Republic of China (PRC) over the past decade and the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) pursuit of large-scale military capabilities challenge the international security order throughout the Indo-Pacific and beyond, experts contend. People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization could have near- and long-term implications for regional stability that impact the South China Sea, Taiwan…
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Features
The Indo-Pacific Strategic Space and the Global Order
Dr. Arnab Das/Cmdr. (Ret.) Indian Navy The center of global power has shifted toward the Indian and Pacific oceans. The Indo-Pacific strategic space is recognized as the main theater of geopolitical and geostrategic interactions in the 21st century. More nations globally are deploying assets in the region to ensure their strategic presence and interests. India, the People’s Republic of China…
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Features
Multidomain Integration
Capt. Patrick Hinton/BRITISH ARMY Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States held an experiment in California in late 2022 aimed at improving integration and interoperability among military forces, an effort that began in July 2020 when the British and U.S. armies signed a memorandum of agreement on joint modernization. Known as Project Convergence 22 (PC22), the campaign of…
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Climate
Renewable Forces
On the evening of November 21, 1918 — 10 days after the signing of the armistice that ended World War I — British War Cabinet member George Curzon presided at a dinner honoring the Inter-Allied Petroleum Conference. Toasting the delegates gathered in London, Curzon declared that the Allies had “floated to victory on a wave of oil” due to their…
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Conflicts - Tensions
COTS Devices Pass Muster
Once dismissed as inferior technology, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices such as aerial and maritime drones, secure mobile phones and GPS instruments are helping Ukraine counter Russia’s assault and drawing increased interest from militaries worldwide, including in the Indo-Pacific. A relatively small percentage of the equipment that Ukraine has used against Russian invaders is inexpensive, publicly available and quickly accessible. Aerial…
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Across The Region
Australia to Boost Defense With Purchase of Advanced Systems
Australia will boost its defense capabilities by spending more than U.S. $700 million on advanced missile and rocket systems, including the United States-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which is proving crucial in enabling Ukrainian forces to hit key Russian targets. The Australian government said in January 2023 that the HIMARS will include launchers, missiles and training rockets, and…
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Across The Region
U.S. Forces Expand Space Unit in South Korea
U.S. Forces Korea launched a new space forces unit in December 2022 as allies South Korea and the United States ramp up efforts to counter North Korea’s evolving nuclear and missile threats. U.S. Space Forces Korea is an overseas component of the U.S. Space Force and is tasked with detecting and tracking incoming missiles, as well as bolstering the military’s…
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Features
Modern Movement
Gusty Da Costa Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Muhammad Herindra has served as Indonesian deputy defense minister under President Joko Widodo since December 2020. As a senior Army officer, he served as chief of the General Staff of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, as well as commander of the Army Special Forces Kopassus in 2015 and commander of the Regional Military Command…
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Departments
Japan launching defense tech research agency, advancing railgun project
FORUM Staff Japan plans to create a research agency by 2024 to accelerate defense technology development. The agency will be modeled after the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and its Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), according to Shigenori Mishima, vice commissioner and chief technology officer at Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency. DARPA is the U.S. Defense Department’s…
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