United States
Former State Department civil servant, Army combat medic.
On January 15, 2026, Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu met Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Maria Theresa Lazaro in Manila to formalize the increasingly robust defense relationship between Japan and the Philippines as both countries face intensifying aggression from the People’s Republic of China. According to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
On January 20, 2026, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval of a $2.316 billion sale of maritime patrol aircraft to Singapore, to enhance the Southeast Asian city-state’s maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.The full package, which follows on from Singapore’s ongoing...
On January 9, 2026, naval forces from China, Russia, Iran, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates began Exercise “Will for Peace 2026” off the coast of the Cape of Good Hope, in the first-ever BRICS-branded military exercises. Although official messaging emphasized the protection of commercial shipping and non-traditional maritime security, the composition of participating forces, activities conducted, and political context suggest that the exercise also served to signal opposition...
On December 17, 2025, the U.S. State Department and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a massive package of arms sales, including artillery, missiles, and drones, to Taiwan. At a combined value of $11.1 billion, this package would be among the largest arms sales to Taiwan, surpassing the $8.4 billion...
The Trump administration’s newly released National Security Strategy (NSS), unveiled in December, has drawn intense scrutiny for its unprecedented emphasis on the Western Hemisphere and its often confrontational posture toward European allies. What has attracted far less attention, however, is how the document recalibrates Washington’s approach to the Indo-Pacific...
From December 8 to 12, military components from Australia, India, Japan, and the United States came together to conduct the first field training exercise of the Quad’s Indo-Pacific Logistics Network (IPLN), in another step toward operationalizing Quad coordination for disaster response. Conceived by former Japanese...
On December 16, 2025, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced notification to Congress of the State Department’s approval of Lockheed Martin’s sale to Japan of a follow-on support package for its Aegis-equipped destroyers. The sale, estimated at roughly $100.2 million, is not for new ships or missiles, but for sustainment and technical support...
On December 12, Chinese maritime forces engaged in a dangerous harassing action against roughly 20 Filipino fishing boats operating near Sabina Shoal, an atoll in the disputed South China Sea. Several China Coast Guard (CCG) cutters and rigid-hulled inflatable boats, alongside China Maritime Militia (CMM) vessels, surrounded the Filipino fishing boats and executed...
On December 9, 2025, China and Russia conducted a joint strategic air patrol over the South and East China Seas, and in the western Pacific, prompting Japan and South Korea to scramble their own fighters in response. This was the tenth joint Sino-Russian air patrol since 2019...
In early November, Canadian Defense Minister David McGuinty and Philippine Defense Secretary Giberto Teodoro signed the Canada-Philippines Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Makati City, following the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus. The agreement will streamline legal and logistical arrangements for deployments, facilitating more...
In light of the Trump Administration’s muted response, Beijing has seized the moment to intensify its coercive against Tokyo over Japan’s potential role in a Taiwan contingency. Since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested, on November 7, that the Self-Defense Forces might be mobilized in the event of Chinese aggression, Beijing has moved swiftly, deploying diplomatic...
In the wake of Beijing’s recent provocations against Japan over Taiwan, the United States has remained publicly aloof. Privately, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a phone call on Monday, November 24, followed later that day by a call between President Trump and Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The implications of these calls remains...
China has responded with unusual ferocity to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion that Japan might deploy its Self-Defense Forces in the event of a Taiwan crisis, combining diplomatic threats, economic coercion, and military pressure in a coordinated campaign of intimidation. At issue is not only Japan’s posture...
On November 18, the United States and its Quad partners concluded Exercise Malabar 2025 off the coast of Guam, demonstrating their ability to operate together at sea and signaling continued commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific...
On July 31, the Foreign Policy program at Brookings hosted a discussion on the evolving threats to space security and how the United States and the international community can most effectively respond to these challenges.
