Military Exercise and Training
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Oceania
Australia-Vietnam defense training reflects expanding partnership
FORUM Staff The largest-ever contingent of Vietnamese military personnel training with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sailors for at-sea combat survivability exemplifies the nations’ expanding defense relations. Seventeen Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) members visited HMAS Cerberus Naval Base in Victoria, Australia, in March 2025 to enhance ship-based firefighting, leak-stop repair, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense skills. Linguists and interpreters…
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Features
U.S. MINEX Operations
FORUM Staff During Valiant Shield in June 2024, the United States Pacific Fleet executed the first major joint mining exercise (MINEX) in 50 years. The MINEX showcased the U.S.’s advanced and diverse capabilities in cross-domain maritime mining, emphasizing quick deployment and multiplatform flexibility. The resurgence of mining operations within the U.S. military marks a strategic pivot to a naval warfare…
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Across The Region
Philippines, Vietnam boost military ties amid South China Sea tensions
The Philippines and Vietnam will advance defense and military relations and deepen collaboration on maritime security, a significant step by two countries concerned over Beijing’s assertive actions in the South China Sea. Vietnamese Defense Minister Gen. Phan Van Giang held talks with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro during his August 2024 visit to Manila, where he also met with Philippine…
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Across The Region
Australia, Japan boost defense ties in face of CCP incursions
Australia and Japan are increasing joint defense exercises amid shared concerns over the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) incursions into Japanese airspace and territorial waters. During their September 2024 summit in Queenscliff, Australia, the nations’ defense and foreign ministers discussed greater security cooperation, support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and unease about the CCP’s increasingly aggressive territorial claims…
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Indo-Pacific View
Dear Readers, Welcome to Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM’s issue on safeguarding seas. As the Indo-Pacific’s global importance continues to increase, nations and militaries have developed greater appreciation of the vital role of maritime security in preserving peace. This edition of FORUM highlights some of the region’s leading maritime challenges, from ensuring freedom of navigation and commerce to protecting fisheries and other…
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Partnerships
Language, cultural skills critical to enhancing Indo-Pacific interoperability
U.S. Air Force Culture and Language Center Forging strategic relationships is vital for the United States and its Allies and Partners to further national security objectives. However, creating and sustaining those bonds can be challenging in areas such as the Indo-Pacific, a vast and dynamic region that is home to nearly 40 nations, more than half of the world’s population,…
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Partnerships
Tiger Triumph 2025 advances capabilities of Indian, U.S. forces
Lt. Cmdr. Seth Koenig/U.S. Navy A large-scale amphibious landing drill highlighted the accomplishments of exercise Tiger Triumph 2025, a two-week engagement by Indian and United States forces in India in April. As personnel secured a beachhead, an aerial support team relayed observations and other data to ground forces at Kakinada Beach in the southeastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. About…
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Oceania
Naval base modernization highlights growing Australia-PNG-U.S. defense cooperation
Peter Parson The refurbishment of a key naval base and joint initiatives with Australia and the United States underscore Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) enhanced defense posture. The upgrades to the PNG Defence Force’s (PNGDF) Lombrum Naval Base, which U.S. forces can access under the nations’ Defense Cooperation Agreement, are evidence of the growing ties among the three partners. Other developments…
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Partnerships
Thailand, Vietnam deepen defense ties to tackle shared security challenges
Felix Kim The sixth Thailand-Vietnam Defense Policy Dialogue, held in Bangkok in March 2025, highlighted a strategic relationship that has matured from Cold War-era border skirmishes to a cooperative partnership. The summit co-chairs — Gen. Sanitchanog Sangkachantra, Thailand’s permanent defense secretary, and Senior Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, Vietnam’s deputy defense minister — emphasized the nations’ cooperation on regional and…
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Partnerships
Balikatan 2025 highlights multinational commitment to Philippine security, Indo-Pacific stability
FORUM Staff Japan joined the multinational military exercise Balikatan in the Philippines for the first time in late April 2025, participating alongside Australian, Philippine and United States forces. Observers came from 16 nations: Brunei, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. The Japan Maritime…
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