SINGAPORE — Beyond China’s ostentatious display of its J-35A fighter jet at the Singapore Airshow was a lower-profile piece of equipment, the new Wing-Loong X combat drone, which experts say is far more likely to find international success. Beijing banked on Asia’s largest aerospace event, organized here from Feb. 3-7, to flex its aviation muscle,…
BANGKOK — The United States and the Philippines have announced the creation of a joint task force aimed at further deterring what U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called Beijing’s “coercion” in the South China Sea. It is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, where not only the Philippines but also Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia…
The U.S. Marine Corps has deployed a unit equipped with MQ-9A Reaper drones to the South China Sea to provide support to Philippine forces there amid a series of clashes with Chinese vessels. The unit is deployed on a temporary basis and the drones are unarmed, a Marine Corps spokesperson told Defense News in a…
Even as China embarks on a massive military buildup, America comforts itself with an ironclad belief: As with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, superior Communist numbers will be undercut by rigid command and clumsy tactics that can be exploited by more agile U.S. forces. But what if China embraces the more flexible Western…
President Donald Trump has called for Russia and Ukraine to “stop where they are” and quit fighting after concluding talks in Washington Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Taking to Truth Social late Friday afternoon, Trump wrote that “it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with…
Worried by China’s growing arsenal of ballistic missiles, India is responding with a plan to create a joint rocket force that would control and expand the country’s non-nuclear missiles. But the proposed Integrated Rocket Force, or IRF, has been beset by delays and may be outgunned by Chinese missiles. The mismatch could place India in…
China remains America’s top threat in space and is catching up to the United States military’s space capabilities at an “incredible pace,” according to a top Space Force general. “They are bringing on capability, I won’t say daily, but at least monthly, that puts our assets at risk,” Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, the commander of…
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Once tempted to ditch its acquisition of a Chinese-built S26T diesel-electric submarine, Thailand has decided the project will now proceed. The cause of the indecision was China’s failure to obtain German diesel engines for the submarine, and its proposal to substitute Chinese variants instead. However, the Thai Cabinet approved a contract…
MANILA, Philippines — Australia on Friday launched its largest military exercises with Philippine forces, involving more than 3,600 military personnel in live-fire drills, battle maneuvers and a beach assault at a Philippine town facing the disputed South China Sea, where the allies have raised alarm over Beijing’s assertive actions. The exercises are called Alon, meaning…
Submarines are a major part of China’s naval strategy. And U.S. underwater sensors are a major threat to those subs, Chinese experts warn. Thus, some People’s Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN, officers are advocating a systematic attempt to destroy America’s undersea sensor network in time of war. This includes destroying, sabotaging or spoofing underwater microphones…