South China Sea (SCS)
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Japan, Philippines deepen defense cooperation amid shared security concerns
FORUM Staff When Japan announced an unprecedented plan in early 2023 to help bolster defense and security in like-minded countries, the Philippines was high on its list. Tokyo’s Official Security Assistance program is expected to provide Manila with radar and satellite communications to strengthen maritime security, Reuters news agency reported, including defending its primary routes in the disputed South China…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
U.S., Vietnam warn against ‘threat or use of force’ in South China Sea
Agence France-Presse The United States and Vietnam warned in September 2023 against the “threat or use of force” in the disputed South China Sea, days after clashes involving Chinese Communist Party (CCP) vessels. U.S. President Joe Biden and Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said competing claims on the strategic waterway must be settled under international norms. The…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Vietnam, others oppose Chinese construction on Triton Island in South China Sea
FORUM Staff Recently obtained satellite imagery shows what analysts believe to be a runway or road being built by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Triton Island, part of the Paracel Island group, in the disputed South China Sea. What experts find significant about the discovery is that the Chinese-controlled island’s location is the closest to Vietnam in the disputed…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan reject PRC’s latest South China Sea map
REUTERS The Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan have rejected as baseless a map released by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea. Beijing released the map in late August 2023 of its notorious U-shaped line covering about 90% of the South China Sea, a source of many of the disputes…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Indonesia, Vietnam reinforce security ties
Maria T. Reyes Indonesian and Vietnamese defense officials met in August 2023 to reaffirm their nations’ strong bilateral ties. The meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, between Vietnam’s deputy defense minister, Senior Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien, and Lt. Gen. Donny Ermawan Taufanto, secretary general of Indonesia’s Defense Ministry, coincided with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Senior Officials’ Meeting…
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Global Commons
Philippine Navy strengthens maritime security with anti-submarine warfare capabilities
Maria T. Reyes As tensions escalate in the South China Sea, the Philippine Navy has unveiled a formidable maritime strategy with its inaugural “full-mission capable deployment” of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) assets. The Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) conducted the synchronized show of force using the missile-equipped frigate BRP Antonio Luna (FF-151) and the AgustaWestland…
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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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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
India backs Philippines in South China Sea, increases engagement
Maria T. Reyes India has called for adherence to an international tribunal’s 2016 ruling that supports the Philippine’s sovereign rights to areas within its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone, invalidating sweeping claims by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to virtually the entire South China Sea. Aligning with the court’s interpretation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the…
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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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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Philippines tells PRC it will not abandon post in disputed reef
REUTERS The Philippines told the People’s Republic of China (PRC) it will not abandon a disputed shoal in the South China Sea after it accused China’s coast guard of using water cannons and dangerous moves to prevent Manila from sending supplies to its troops occupying the reef. Likening the August 2023 incident to a “David vs Goliath situation,” Jonathan Malaya,…
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