As North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un’s and US President Donald Trump’s war of words escalated, Independence Day celebrations—commemorating the Korean peninsula’s 1945 liberation from Japanese colonial rule—was unfolding in both North and South Korea. The …
In July 2017, North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles that it claims can deliver a nuclear payload anywhere in the world. Pyongyang tends to exaggerate its military capabilities, but its nuclear and missile programs …
North Korea’s nuclear weapon and long-range missile programs are gathering momentum, according to a US Defense Intelligence Agency report, commented on by the Washington Post. The Post story suggests that North Korea has successfully produced …
During his visit to Hue, Vietnam’s former royal capital, earlier this year, Japanese Emperor Akihito and his entourage were reminded of their country’s longstanding cultural connections with Vietnam. In the eighth century, Phat Triet, a …
The Philippines is poised to become strategically more important to Australia, leading to opportunities for intensified defence cooperation. At a recent dialogue held in Manila on deepening the Australia–Philippines relationship, hosted by the Foreign Service …
Sea state This year’s parades and celebrations for Russia’s annual Navy Day had a distinctly global feel. Events were held across Russia, and even at the Syrian port of Tartus. The celebrations aim to ‘revive …
France was a significant stopover in Malcolm Turnbull’s tour of Europe. The Australian prime minister visited France two weeks ago to hold his first bilateral meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron and to inspect the …
Sea state The US Navy released a request for information (RFI) last week seeking proposals for a new guided missile frigate. Its previous plans for a new frigate were based on modifying the current littoral …
Welcome back. Last week it was Ivanka as seat warmer, and this week it was Donald Jr’s time to shine. (Sasha and Malia never got this much attention …) We now know that there was …
The British government is now fully committed to the Type 26 frigate. On 2 July, the Ministry of Defence announced that it had signed a contract for three hulls, probably the minimum it could get …
With my partner-in-crime, Amelia Long, having flown the coop, I’ll be striking out on my own once more to bring you some choice reading, listening, et al. each Friday. Let’s muck in … Developments this …
Sea state After a tricky few weeks, HMS Queen Elizabeth’s cyber security resilience has been called into question after photos taken during a tour of the ship appeared to show computer screens running the out-dated …