Taiwan
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Partnerships
Balikatan 2025 highlights increasingly complex military training in Indo-Pacific
FORUM Staff If you live in a dangerous neighborhood, it behooves you to know how to fight, Philippine Army Brig. Gen. Michael Logico told FORUM as troops from more than 20 nations gathered for all-domain exercises across the archipelago in April and May 2025. The 40th iteration of Balikatan highlighted the Philippine military’s modernization and the increasingly complex training among…
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Conflicts - Tensions
In ‘ground-breaking revelation,’ China’s Taiwan Strait drills show coast guard answers to military command
FORUM Staff China Coast Guard vessels sailed under the command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during two days of military drills in the Taiwan Strait in April 2025, publicly exposing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) yearslong deception over its coast guard’s military role. It is “a ground-breaking revelation,” reported the Atlantic Council, a United States-based think tank, contradicting Beijing’s…
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Global Commons
Taiwan bolstering cybersecurity infrastructure against China-backed hackers
FORUM Staff A cybersecurity center combining the resources of government agencies and global partners will fortify Taiwan’s defenses against an onslaught of hacks and other digital threats, primarily originating from China, officials say. The initiative, outlined by the National Institute of Cyber Security in April 2025, will oversee key areas including bolstering societal resilience, defending supply chains and infrastructure, and…
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Features
Sea Control
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Daniel R. Post and U.S. Army Capt. Noël Bartley Traditionally, the United States Army has focused on land-based operations, with its role in maritime contexts largely limited to support functions. This is, of course, what armies are designed to do. However, changing geopolitical dynamics and evolving threats, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, necessitate a broader operational scope and…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan charges Chinese ship captain with sabotaging undersea cable
Reuters Taiwan prosecutors in April 2025 charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging an undersea cable between Taiwan’s main island and Penghu island, the latest in a series of such incidents that have alarmed officials and increased tensions with China. Authorities detained the captain of the Togo-registered freighter Hong Tai 58 after the cable operator reported the damage, apparently…
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Partnerships
U.S. deploying advanced capabilities, concepts to Philippines for Balikatan 2025
FORUM Staff Exercise Balikatan 2025 in the Philippines will include a new anti-ship missile capability, cutting-edge drones, special operations forces training, and the debut of a rotational United States Marine Corps unit designed to be more agile, efficient and technologically advanced. The Philippine and U.S. militaries will host the annual exercise April 21-May 9 with troops from Australia and Japan…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan must counter China’s increasing intrusions, report says
FORUM Staff Beijing is expanding its surveillance and influence tactics in Taiwan and the self-governed island must deter the threats to maintain its security and democracy, a United States-based think tank reported in March 2025. The Global Taiwan Institute (GTI) report asserts the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to infiltrate Taiwan through intelligence operations, cyberspace intrusions, and cultivation of…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan sharpens ‘porcupine’ capabilities to deter CCP invasion threat
Sarah Chan Amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan is accelerating its focus on asymmetric warfare capabilities to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing military threat. Taipei’s “porcupine” defense strategy aims to make any potential invasion of the democratically governed island too costly for Beijing. Under the approach, enhanced missile and drone capabilities and mobile coastal defenses maximize…
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Conflicts - Tensions
China primary cause of marine habitat damage in South China Sea, report says
FORUM Staff China’s artificial-island building accounts for about two-thirds of the damage to marine habitats in the South China Sea stemming from dredge-and-fill construction, researchers say. China has buried more than 4,600 acres (about 19 square kilometers) of coral reef since 2013, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) reported in January 2025. The group, part of the United States-based think…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Prize law could help contain future conflicts, experts say
FORUM Staff Military planners and scholars are often tasked with contemplating the unthinkable: conflict between major nuclear powers escalating into a global catastrophe. They also are tasked to devise ways to maximize chances for the success of the United States and its Allies and Partners. A denial theory of victory is the best way to maximize the likelihood the U.S.…
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