Tag - defense

 
 

DEFENSE

Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius during an interview Monday aboard the Dutch frigate HNLMS De Ruyter in Tokyo after the warship arrived for a three-day port call
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2026
Dutch defense chief says Chinese naval encounter won’t deter Europe in Indo-Pacific
The Netherlands will continue its regular military deployments to the Indo-Pacific, Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has said.
China is Australia's largest trading partner, ​accounting for almost a third of Australia's exports.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 15, 2026
China’s strike capacity over Australia set to expand, think tank says
The report said ​China can already strike ⁠northern Australia with missiles deployed to its South China Sea outposts.
Chinese H-6N bombers fly in formation during a rehearsal in Beijing last August, ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
JAPAN
Jun 15, 2026
Chinese bombers put Japan’s defense strategy in jeopardy, report finds
Long-range counterair ability to detect, track and engage Chinese aircraft before they can launch attacks is missing from current plans, a think tank says.
Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a banquet hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during Xi's state visit to Pyongyang on June 8.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 15, 2026
Xi swaps fighter jets for diplomatic hardball to squeeze Taiwan
China is escalating efforts to silence Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on the world stage.
DF-21D ballistic missiles are paraded in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in September 2015.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2026
China direct strike threat to Australia ‘growing’: report
The DF-27 missile has a range of 5,000 to 8,000 kilometers, the U.S. military said in December.
A Cyber Force would centralize military cybersecurity, building a cadre of elite tech warriors akin to the Green Berets in cyber space.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 14, 2026
The Pentagon needs to create the green berets of tech
America’s current cyber defenses are a patchwork of governmental and private-sector efforts.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands in Tokyo in January.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Starmer to meet Japan’s Takaichi as fighter jet funding sputters
The Global Combat Air Program has faced roadblocks including delays to Britain’s financial contribution to the project.
German Ambassador to Japan Petra Sigmund speaks during an interview in Tokyo on June 11.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
German envoy hopeful of Japan joining Eurodrone project
In addition to Germany, the Eurodrone project includes such countries as Italy and Spain, with India participating as an observer.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a news conference after a meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, in December.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 12, 2026
The U.S. and Israel can’t hide their differences on Iran
The cause of their dispute is, on the surface, simple. Israel says the April ceasefire between Tehran and Washington did not cover Lebanon.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Thursday. Takaichi is planning to visit Ankara from July 6 to 8 to attend a NATO summit.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
Takaichi to attend NATO summit in Turkey and seek closer ties with alliance
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to confirm with NATO that the security of the Indo-Pacific region and that of Europe are inseparable, seeking greater NATO involvement in Asia
Beijing recently leaned on countries including the Czech Republic to deny Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's plane passage for a planned visit to Africa.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 12, 2026
Taiwan’s ‘Dumpling Alliance’ fades under China’s economic squeeze
How the relationships of Eastern European states and Taiwan evolve under the informal alliance bears watching as China tries to peel partners away from Taiwan.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang on Monday.
EDITORIALS
Jun 12, 2026
China-North Korea ties: New heights and new realities
While China is perhaps more powerful than at any time in its modern history, its leverage over North Korea is considerably diminished.
The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Minnesota sails off the coast of Western Australia on March 16, 2025.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 11, 2026
Hard scrutiny of AUKUS won’t scuttle that deal
Power and passion won’t overcome the strategic logic of Australia’s sub ambitions.
A model of a fighter jet from the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP), led by Britain, Japan and Italy, in London in September 2023
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2026
Canada to join Japan-Italy-U.K. fighter project as observer
A observer country will be able to access sensitive information, such as progress in the fighter project.
A China Coast Guard ship is seen on the horizon through a telescopic view near Philippine-occupied Thitu Island in the disputed South China Sea on Feb. 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Philippines plans sea border talks with Japan amid opposition from China
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has maritime disputes with Tokyo and Manila in the East China Sea and South China Sea.
A security guard takes a selfie beside the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Amagiri, an Asagiri-class destroyer, upon its arrival for a goodwill visit in Metro Manila in February 2018.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jun 10, 2026
How Tokyo aims to turn retired military equipment into lasting strategic returns
Japan’s export of used military gear to partner nations could deliver decades of strategic returns, analysts say.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watch a welcome performance at Pyongyang Gymnasium on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 9, 2026
What was left unsaid may be biggest takeaway from Xi-Kim summit
The lack of any public reference to North Korea’s nuclear program during the talks has reinforced the perception that China no longer views denuclearization as a viable option.
People stand near the newly launched N9 electric vehicle under BYD's premium brand, Denza, displayed at a launch event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, on May 18. The U.S. has added BYD to a list of companies it believes are aiding China's military.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 9, 2026
U.S. says BYD, Baidu, Alibaba and other tech giants are aiding China’s military
The move could inflame tensions between both countries, coming less than a month after a summit between their leaders.
A Thunderbolt-2000 multiple launch rocket system fires rockets during a live-fire military exercise, which simulates an enemy invasion, in Taichung, Taiwan, on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 9, 2026
Taiwan simulates destroying an invading Chinese force in coastal drill
The military described the amphibious assault training as a ​more realistic combat scenario with less preparation time.
Le Vigilant is one of France's four Le Triomphant-class ballistic missile submarines and is equipped with M51 nuclear warheads.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2026
Europe weighs its nuclear future as U.S. certainty fades
Just a few nuclear weapons may be enough to transform a regional crisis into a global one.

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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival