Maritime Operations
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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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Conflicts - Tensions
Allies, Partners conduct joint naval exercises in South China Sea for Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Reuters The armed forces of five Allies and Partners conducted joint maritime exercises in a portion of the South China Sea in late September. New Zealand joined for the first time. Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States also participated in the exercises in Manila’s exclusive economic zone that sought to improve the militaries’ interoperability, the Armed Forces of…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indonesia’s collaborative patrols enhance maritime security
Gusty Da Costa Indonesia’s Navy and Maritime Security Agency, which performs functions similar to a coast guard, will conduct more joint patrols in the country’s territorial waters, partnering with other maritime security agencies. The initiative highlights the critical role of such patrols in countering maritime threats. The 2024 Joint Patrol Operation, which ran from March to June, served to sharpen…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Philippines to continue Sabina Shoal deployments
Reuters The Philippines will continuously deploy vessels to the contested Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea, the nation’s Coast Guard said after a Philippine ship returned to port after a five-month deployment there. “We will sustain presence over these waters,” Philippine Coast Guard spokesman Jay Tarriela said in mid-September 2024. The Coast Guard vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua deployed to…
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Conflicts - Tensions
U.S.-led coalition preserves maritime security in Red Sea
FORUM Staff Houthi rebels in Yemen have indiscriminately attacked more than 70 vessels in the Red Sea since October 2023, disrupting an estimated $1 trillion in commerce on shipping lanes crucial to Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A United States-led coalition tasked with preserving maritime security in the region has repeatedly intercepted the missiles and drones targeting vessels. The…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Beijing spreads manipulated message; Philippines, Allies and Partners strengthen security
FORUM Staff With the People’s Republic of China (PRC) facing international opposition to its coercion campaign in the South China Sea, its operatives are trying to change the narrative by amplifying a debunked deepfake video. The latest high-tech hoax targeting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — a discredited clip that purports to show Marcos using an illicit drug — was…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Shared vision, common purpose propel responsible military partners
FORUM Staff Transparency, trust, communication, and respect for global rules and norms are hallmarks of responsible military partners, defense leaders said during the recent Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational exercise. “I would say trust is a key part of it, but it’s the communication that is critical,” Royal Australian Navy Cmdr. David “Billy” Maddison, commanding officer of the guided-missile…
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Northeast Asia
Allies, partners enhance all-domain readiness with military exercises across Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff More than 30 allied and partner militaries deployed personnel, aircraft, ships, submarines, uncrewed vehicles and other assets across the Indo-Pacific in mid-2024. The multinational, near-simultaneous exercises Pitch Black, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) and Valiant Shield stretched from Oceania and the Western Pacific to Northeast Asia. Tens of thousands of troops joined the all-domain training to build interoperability…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Quad partners decry South China Sea dangers, chart course for Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Reuters The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the United States said they are seriously concerned about intimidating and dangerous maneuvers in the South China Sea and pledged to bolster maritime security in the region. The joint statement came in late July 2024 after talks among the Quad member nations in Tokyo, attended by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong,…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Japan’s USV technology gains momentum amid escalating maritime tensions
Thisanka Siripala The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) is prioritizing implementation of uncrewed surface vessels (USV), describing the technology as a game changer in intelligence gathering, surveillance and combat support. Tokyo is seeking to boost its maritime observation capabilities in response to the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) repeated incursions around the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.…
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