Military Exercise and Training
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Departments
Enhancing Relationships
FORUM Staff As commanding officer of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) largest ship, Capt. Mahamad Nazir bin Darus has a deep understanding of the maritime challenges facing his nation and Southeast Asia, from territorial disputes to illegal fishing and piracy. A nearly 30-year veteran of the RMN, Nazir has commanded the guided-missile frigate KD Lekiu since mid-2023. The 106-meter-long vessel,…
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Features
Exercising Lasting Readiness, Deterrence
Over the decades, major exercises among Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners have become critical for maintaining a trained and ready joint force and for deterring adversaries by demonstrating interoperability and warfighting proficiency. The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in recent years has increased multilateral participation, facilitated experimentation with advanced concepts and technologies, and demonstrated its ability to execute high-level, all-domain operations…
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Features
Standing Ready
Jacob Doyle When Tropical Storm Kristine struck the Philippines in late October 2024, about 7 million people across all regions of the country were affected. More than 150 people died, with many others injured or displaced. The impact of the tropical storm, also known as Trami, may have been even more severe if not for the efforts of the Citizen…
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Features
Persistent Presence
As the Philippine Army, which is shifting focus from internal defense to territorial security, began modernizing a vital cog in Manila’s security strategy, its leaders joined forces with a United States Army Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB). The collaboration delivered enhanced skill sets to defend the nation in a new era, transforming a construction unit into the 501st Combat Engineer…
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Features
Shared Success
When Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel joined thousands of troops for the biggest-ever Balikatan in the Philippines in April and May 2025, it was an engagement of historic significance on multiple fronts. It was the JSDF’s inaugural participation in the long-running annual drills hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the United States military, coming as the…
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Across The Region
USINDOPACOM Initiative Boosts Information Sharing with Allies and Partners
A communications network developed by the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) lets Allies and Partners share information securely and seamlessly during multilateral exercises and other engagements, negating the need to custom build multiple networks, military leaders say. The INDOPACOM Mission Network (IMN) ensures that partner forces are “operating off the same picture at all times, we’re able to pass mission…
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Indo-Pacific View
Dear Readers, Welcome to Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM’s issue on enduring readiness. As the regional landscape shifts with increasing speed and complexity, the security stakes for Indo-Pacific nations have never been higher and readiness has never been more important. This edition of FORUM explores how Allies and Partners are enhancing combat power and resilience to mitigate potential impacts from traditional and…
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Partnerships
Philippine naval base upgrades include uncrewed surface vessel infrastructure
FORUM Staff A United States-funded upgrade at a Philippine naval base on the coast of Palawan will bolster Manila’s maritime capabilities while supporting a broader strategic approach to deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. The facility at Naval Detachment Oyster Bay soon will be equipped with maintenance infrastructure to support uncrewed surface vessels (USV), a move that reflects growing efforts to enhance…
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Northeast Asia
Japan-South Korea-U.S. collaboration key to Indo-Pacific stability, experts say
Sentry Collaboration among Japan, South Korea and the United States is crucial for stability and security in the Indo-Pacific, policy experts said at a recent conference on the nations’ diplomatic relations. “Our most important mission … in our diplomacy, is to take the necessary steps to bring Japan and [South Korea] closer, ever closer together,” Kurt Campbell, a former U.S.…
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Partnerships
Exercise Kasangga highlights deepening Australia-Philippines defense ties
Maria T. Reyes In a demonstration of deepening defense ties and strategic recalibration, the Australian and Philippine armies recently conducted five weeks of training across jungle and urban terrain on the Southeast Asian nation’s southern island of Mindanao. Held from mid-May to late June and named after the Filipino word for “ally,” Exercise Kasangga 2025-1 underscored a shift in the…
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