U.S. Urges Asian Allies to Spend More on Defense as Washington Reinforces Indo-Pacific Strategy
Pentagon official Elbridge Colby urges Asian allies to spend more on defense as Washington strengthens deterrence across the Indo-Pacific. Can the United States maintain a credible military balance in Asia without asking its allies to carry more of the burden? Washington increasingly believes the answer is no. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby has urged Asian allies to invest more heavily in their own militaries, arguing that the future of Indo-Pacific deterrence will depend on a network of capable regional partners rat…
Xi’s Taiwan Warning Signals a Dangerous New Phase in U.S.-China Military Rivalry
Beijing escalates strategic pressure over Taiwan amid rising Indo-Pacific tensions China’s warning to the United States over Taiwan highlights intensifying military tensions in the Indo-Pacific, expanding PLA modernization, and growing risks of strategic confrontation between the world’s two largest powers. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s latest warning to the United States over Taiwan marks one of the clearest signs yet that the Taiwan Strait is becoming the most dangerous geopolitical flashpoint in the modern international system. During hig…
Washington and Tokyo Tighten Missile Shield Across the Indo-Pacific
Allied missile integration is reshaping Indo-Pacific deterrence dynamics. DefenseNews: The United States and Japan are deepening missile integration with the Philippines, signaling a major shift in Indo-Pacific deterrence strategy against China’s growing maritime and military pressure. The rapidly evolving security architecture of the Indo-Pacific entered a new and highly consequential phase after the United States and Japan conducted advanced missile integration drills in the Philippines involving Tomahawk cruise missiles and Japanese Type-88…
Filipino military pushes naval base upgrades, fearing Chinese spying
DefenseNews: MANILA, Philippines, The Philippines is ramping up its maritime defense posture with plans to establish and upgrade several naval bases in critical areas across the archipelago, including an island base under a basing agreement with the United States and a former American base in Luzon. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters last month about plans to speed up infrastructure works in Balabac Island, a joint Air Force and Navy base in the southern end of Palawan province. The island is a “strategic location” for the count…
Philippines, Malaysia and Japan take on China over illegal territorial claims, especially the South China Sea
China’s ties with key SE Asian nations and Japan appear to be worsening over Beijing’s aggressive policy to claim territories with scant regard for international law. The Philippines on Sunday publicly called on China to comply with the 2016 arbitral ruling, which invalidated its massive claim over the resource-rich South China Sea, four years since the decision was handed down by an international court in The Hague, Netherlands. "Compliance in good faith with the award would be consistent with the obligations of the Philippines …
Philippines defence minister says China arms on islands worrying
"The actions of China in militarising those disputed features are very troubling," Delfin Lorenzana said in a statement. China ’s recent installation of weapons on artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea was “very troubling”, the Philippines ’ defence minister said on Tuesday, after Manila quietly protested against Beijing’s activities. The Philippine foreign ministry sent a note verbale to the Chinese embassy last month after confirming a report from the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies a…
Japan military drill with US, Australia likely to upset China
JAPAN is set to join the main biennial US-Australia military drill for the first time during which its troops are expected to take part in large amphibious assault exercises in Queensland that are sure to anger Beijing. While Australia’s defence forces refused to confirm Japan would participate in the huge Talisman Sabre exercise, the US military happily confirmed an invitation had been issued. The Australian understands Japan will send a contingent of about 30 officers and troops to exercises that have focused on storming “enem…
Can’t keep waiting for stealth fighter, India tells Russia
NEW DELHI: Ahead of President Vladimir Putin's visit here early next month, India has told Russia to come back with a plan to substantially reduce the delivery timeframe for the stealth fifth-generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) if it wants to seal the futuristic project by next year. The plan till now was that India would begin inducting the stealth fighters only 94 months — at the earliest — after the two countries inked the final design and R&D contract, which itself has already been delayed by over two years by now. …
Tejas trials progressing well
New Delh: The government on Tuesday said all trials are progressing well towards Final Operational Clearance (FOC) of the delayed indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. The ambitious project of developing Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is running behind schedule, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. He said that more than 2,700 flight tests have been completed utilizing 13 Tejas.
India: Considering hotline between Indian, Chinese army HQs
India is "seriously considering" establishing a hotline connection between its and Chinese military headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Tuesday told parliament. "It is being seriously considered to establish a hotline connection between the military headquarters of India and China . This is as per the provisions of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement 2013 between the two countries," Parrikar told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. "The establishment of a hotline between military headquart…
Indian Defencce: Indian Army will soon Get it's First Upgraded Schilka Air Defense Weapon System
India’s Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) announced today that it has handed over the first Upgraded Schilka Weapon System to the Indian Army. Lt Gen V K Saxena, AVSM, VSM, Director General, Army Air Defense, received the system from S K Sharma, Chairman & Managing Director, BEL, at a function organized at BEL's Bengaluru, India factory. BEL had received the contract for upgrading Schilka Weapon Systems in March 2011 from the Indian Army after the successful evaluation of the prototype system.
Hagel’s expulsion reflects deeper problems within the White House
The knives were out for Chuck Hagel as soon as he was appointed secretary of defense. At first, however, those blades belonged to the snarky and dubious members of the press corps assigned to him. The Washington buzz was that Hagel, despite his years in the Senate and accomplishments in business and the military, was not up to the job. But this week, with word of Hagel being ousted from the Obama cabinet, many of those who doubted him feel he was wronged. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down under pressure from President…
UN: Islamic State(ISIS) group got up to $45m in ransoms
UNITED NATIONS: The Islamic State group which controls a large swath of Syria and Iraq has received between $35 million and $45 million in ransom payments in the past year, a UN expert monitoring sanctions against al-Qaida said on Monday. Yotsna Lalji told a meeting of the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee that an estimated $120 million in ransom was paid to terrorist groups between 2004 and 2012. Kidnapping for ransom "continues to grow," she said, as demonstrated by the money the extremist group…
Pakistan Taliban chief escapes drone attack
Islamabad, Nov 25: The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Mullah Fazlullah has escaped a US drone strike in Afghanistans Nangarhar province, media reports said on Tuesday Highly placed intelligence sources had told Dawn.com that the unmanned aircraft fired four missiles on a compound in Nazyan village in southeastern Afghanistan Monday night, killing at least five Pakistani and Afghan militants near the Pak-Afghan border. Sources said intelligence reports suggested Mullah Fazllulah had been in the area near the zero-line for ov…
France delays warship delivery to Russia `until further notice`
Paris: France on Tuesday pushed back "until further notice" the delivery of a controversial warship to Russia because of the Ukraine crisis, sparking a measured initial response from Moscow. President Francois Hollande said in a statement that the "current situation in eastern Ukraine still does not allow for the delivery of the first" of two Mistral-class vessels France has built for Russia. "He therefore decided to delay until further notice" the decision on whether to grant the export licence ne…
INS Sindhuratna mishap: Seven Indian naval officers found guilty of omission
New Delhi: Seven naval officers were found guilty following a probe into the fire that occurred on board submarine INS Sindhuratna earlier this year, which left two personnel dead. Disciplinary action against these officers has been initiated at the Western Naval Command headquarters, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. "The BOI report in case of INS Sindhuratna has found seven officers culpable of various acts of omission and commission," he said, as per PTI.
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