Tag - defense

 
 

DEFENSE

U.K. Royal Air Force planes take off from Cyprus to strike military targets in Yemen on Saturday.
WORLD
Feb 25, 2024
U.S. and U.K. warplanes again strike Houthi-linked targets in Yemen
The strikes were intended to degrade the Iran-backed militants’ ability to attack ships in critical sea lanes.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July 2023.
WORLD
Feb 24, 2024
Europe’s east is losing faith in its west over arming Ukraine
The mood in diplomatic circles is that, should Russia ultimately win its war in Ukraine, Western Europe will not be forgiven.
A symbolic illumination called "Ray of Memory" is seen over the graves of Ukrainian soldiers who died in the war with Russia, at Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Friday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 24, 2024
Ukraine on the defensive as Russia war enters third year
On Friday, more than 50 countries, including Japan and the United States, issued a joint statement blasting Russia for the invasion.
A member of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service attends a transfer ceremony of special vehicles from Japan to Ukraine in Kyiv on Nov. 20, 2023.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 23, 2024
An ominous portent emerges for Japan as Ukraine war enters third year
There are growing indications that the once-durable coalition of partners backing Kyiv’s war effort is crumbling — an ominous sign for Japan.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally ahead of the Republican caucus in Las Vegas on Jan. 27.
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 22, 2024
How East Asia should prepare for a possible Trump comeback
Questions over defense funding and military support could potentially return to the fore for U.S. allies.
Iranian ballistic missiles in Tehran. Iran's hard-line clerical rulers have steadily sought to deepen ties with Russia and China, betting that would help Tehran to resist U.S. sanctions and to end its political isolation.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2024
Iran sends Russia hundreds of ballistic missiles, sources say
An Iranian military official said there had been at least four shipments of missiles and that there would be more in the coming weeks.
A Ukrainian serviceman with the call sign "Skorpion" prepares to fire a multiple launch rocket system toward Russian troops near a front-line, at an undisclosed location in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Feb. 4.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 22, 2024
Ukraine outnumbered, outgunned and ground down by Russia
Heavy casualties at the hands of Russian forces have been compounded by dreadful conditions on the eastern front.
With the wars in Ukraine and Gaza claiming America’s attention and the world undergoing a broader geopolitical reconfiguration, China might see a window of opportunity in forcing its claim on Taiwan.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2024
A Taiwan crisis is coming
Already, Xi Jinping has been stepping up intrusions into Taiwan's air defense zone and encircling the island with warships.
A Houthi military helicopter prepares to land on the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in November.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 21, 2024
Why Beijing won’t fight the Houthis
Whether they target Chinese vessels directly or not, attacks on Red Sea shipping by Houthi rebels threaten to undermine China’s economic recovery.
The Japan Pavillion is seen at the Singapore Airshow on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Feb 21, 2024
At top airshow, Japanese firms explore defense export opportunities
They are offering a diverse and sophisticated range of products following a revision of guidelines on defense equipment and technology transfer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2024
Russia may launch nuclear weapon into space this year, U.S. tells allies
Moscow is said to be developing a space-based capability to knock out satellites using a nuclear warhead, in violation of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.
Filipino fishermen aboard their wooden boats sail past a Chinese coast guard ship near the China-controlled Scarborough Shoal, in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Feb. 15.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Philippines joint air patrol with U.S. to 'protect territory'
China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of commercial shipping annually.
The Royal Australian Navy vessel HMAS Toowoomba is docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 4, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Australia to more than double size of naval surface fleet
Revamp of country's military capabilities come in the face of growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, China's rise and concerns over its navy's aging fleet.
ASML engineers walk past a High NA EUV tool at ASML’s headquarters in Veldhoven, Netherlands, on Nov. 20, 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Dutch say China seeks military advantage from ASML tools
Netherlands-based ASML, Europe's largest tech firm, dominates the world market for lithography systems, needed by computer chipmakers.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech as she visits Cafe Kyiv, in Berlin on Feb. 19.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Von Der Leyen seeks new EU term with pivot on defense sector
Her candidacy, which was widely expected, comes as the EU faces a change in leadership with a possible surge in far-right and populist forces.
A Ukrainian serviceman carries a Leleka reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, on Feb. 15
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024
Drone warfare and AI risks among talking points at Munich defense forum
The technologies help to partly neutralize a larger military's advantage, as seen in the Ukraine-Russian war, but they are ultimately double-edged swords.
Ukrainian police officers and rescue workers clear away the rubble of a destroyed house after a Russian rocket attack in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024
Ukraine’s allies are gaming out a world where the U.S. retreats
NATO members are beginning to doubt the U.S. will maintain its traditional role of protecting Europe as part of the alliance.
A model of the next-generation fighter jet set to be built by Japan, Britain and Italy is seen at the DSEI defense event in London last September.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2024
Japan looks to limit third-country defense exports to next-gen fighter jet
Tokyo plans to limit — at least for now — exports of finished defense equipment co-developed with others to the jet being built with Italy and Britain.
Whether or not Russia deploys a nuclear weapon in space, what’s clear is that the U.S. and its two main adversaries, Russia and China, have developed increasingly advanced programs to wage conflict against assets in orbit.
WORLD
Feb 18, 2024
Russia’s bid for orbiting nuclear weapon highlights new space race
Researchers have spent years tracking and testing for the possible effects of a nuclear blast in space.
Donald Trump's recent remarks on defense spending by allies, which were highly criticized, highlight the complexities of U.S. foreign policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 16, 2024
Trump's defense spending critiques: Valid concerns or political rhetoric?
Do U.S. allies need to step up defense spending? What do the numbers really say?

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.