Illicit Activity
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Conflicts - Tensions
A Nuclear Shift
FORUM Staff During the past decade, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has doubled its combat missile brigades within the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF), unveiling missiles capable of launching conventional and nuclear warheads and touting technology to evade missile defense. “The technologies and deployment patterns of these weapons are important indications of the direction of China’s force posture,”…
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Illicit Activity
Indonesian agency bolsters national defense, promotes resilience
Gusty Da Costa Indonesia’s National Resilience Institute, known as Lemhannas, is receiving praise for bolstering “national defense vigilance” through its efforts to advise leaders and educate the public on topics of vital interest. Established in 1965, Lemhannas reports directly to Indonesia’s president. It helped guide the government through the COVID-19 pandemic and advises President Joko Widodo on the separatist insurgency…
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Features
Maritime Domain Awareness
FORUM Staff | Photos By United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Securing maritime borders requires more than merely having the technology to detect anomalies; it must also include a workforce trained to analyze the data. People with skills to know what they’re seeing and how to explain and report it are a key component to deterrence. And the United…
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Illicit Activity
French warships seize massive drug haul in Indian Ocean
FORUM Staff Two French Navy warships seized more than 1,000 kilograms of heroin, hashish and methamphetamine valued at U.S. $38 million from two vessels in the western Indian Ocean in March 2023 as part of a long-running European Union maritime security mission. The illegal drugs were interdicted under the EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia’s Operation Atalanta, which includes anti-piracy and…
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Illicit Activity
Philippine Air Force enhancing counterinsurgency, anti-terrorism capabilities with attack helicopters
Maria T. Reyes As part of its ongoing defense modernization, the Philippines is scheduled to receive two additional Turkish-made T129 ATAK helicopters in early 2023. The U.S. $269 million contract, which included the delivery of four T129s in 2022, is intended to strengthen the nation’s internal security measures against insurgencies and terrorism, as well as contribute to its external defense…
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Illicit Activity
Japan, U.N. help stabilize war-torn region in southern Philippines
Tom Abke Japan is helping the Philippines spur development, reduce poverty and promote lasting peace in the war-torn Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the southern Philippines. Among other initiatives, Japan is sponsoring a program to reduce the number of small arms and light weapons. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) provides logistical support. The BARMM was…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indo-Pacific nations increase cooperation amid ongoing cyber threats
FORUM Staff Building resilience, trust and confidence in cyberspace remains a key priority among nations that share the vision of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific, according to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, consisting of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. The continuing threats posed through ransomware and other illegal cyberattacks by North Korea and other nefarious actors continue to…
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Illicit Activity
Indian military, law enforcement cooperate to tackle maritime narcotics trade
Mandeep Singh The trafficking of drugs by sea from Central to South Asia is on the rise, prompting cooperation among India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Navy and Coast Guard, and with the navies of neighboring countries. The maritime capabilities of India’s Armed Forces, particularly its Navy, give Indian law enforcement essential tools to counter seaborne drug smuggling, according to experts,…
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Illicit Activity
France bolsters multinational effort to uphold North Korea sanctions
FORUM Staff France contributed additional support in October and November 2022 to an international force tasked with deterring nuclear proliferation in North Korea. The Armed Forces in French Polynesia deployed a Falcon F-200 Guardian aircraft, pictured, to provide maritime surveillance with the multinational Enforcement Coordination Cell (ECC) headquartered in Yokosuka, Japan. As part of the coalition, France works alongside Australia,…
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Departments
Indo-Pacific Terror Threat
BENARNEWS Photos by AFP/GETTY IMAGES Terrorist threats in Southeast and South Asian countries declined in 2021, a Singapore think tank said in its annual threat assessment published in January 2022, noting that COVID-19 movement restrictions had “flattened the curve of terrorism.” There were fewer terror-related incidents in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines as governments battled the pandemic, according to…
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