Author: Defenceline Webdesk

Aaron-Matthew Lariosa, USNI News Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. are Redefining Western Pacific Alliances During a Missile-heavy Balikatan Source link

WASHINGTON — The Navy will run into some financial limitations for things like training and exercises starting this summer, stemming from the current pace of operations, according to the service’s top officer.  “I will have to start making decisions to change training, operations, certification, events, those type of things we do to generate our force in the July timeframe,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle told lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday in response to questions about when he expected to run out of funding due to the current rate of operations. The Navy currently has two…

This four-part series examines the debate over wartime operational control (OPCON) transfer from four angles: the structural origins of the impasse (Part 1), the military case for transfer (Part 2), the key design issues requiring resolution (Part 3), and a vision for the alliance after transfer (Part 4). Taken together, the series charts a path toward the mature partnership that a “Koreanization of Korean defense” would require. As Part 1 established, OPCON has long served as a sophisticated control rod sustaining alliance stability – but in a rapidly shifting security environment, that same rod is becoming a bottleneck. The ROK…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the Somnath Amrut Mahotsav in Gujarat’s Veraval, declared that no global power can compel India to bow down or abandon its nuclear ambitions.Drawing a direct parallel to the Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998, he emphasised that India’s resolve remains unshaken despite external pressures.The event marked 75 years since the inauguration of the restored Somnath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and Modi used the occasion to highlight themes of national pride, resilience, and cultural continuity.Modi criticised domestic “forces” that he said prioritise appeasement politics over national self-respect, noting that similar opposition was witnessed during the construction…

J. Trevithick, The WarZone The USAF is moving to start work on a new ARRW variant able to hit moving targets with an eye toward future fights in the Pacific. Source link

[Sponsored] From service-life upgrades to safety enhancements, readiness depends on sustaining the vehicles now carrying the mission. Source link

The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This conversation with Dr. Xiaobing Li – professor of history and the Don Betz Endowed Chair of International Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma and author of  “China’s Mahan: Admiral Liu Huaqing and the Rise of the Modern Chinese Navy” (Naval Institute Press 2026) – is the 508th in “The Trans-Pacific View Insight Series.”   Describe the influence of the 19th century U.S. Navy strategist Alfred Mahan on Admiral Liu Huaqing, the commander of China’s…

A senior Lashkar‑e‑Taiba terrorist, Mir Shukr Khan Raisani, has been found dead under mysterious circumstances in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province.Sources confirmed on Tuesday that Raisani, long regarded as a key operative in Lashkar’s recruitment and radicalisation machinery, was targeted and killed by unidentified assailants.Pakistani authorities have yet to issue an official statement clarifying the circumstances of his death, leaving speculation rife about whether this was the result of internal rivalries, separatist violence, or a covert strike against the group’s leadership.Raisani’s role within Lashkar was significant. He was considered one of the principal architects of cadre‑building operations in…

Wellisz and Gilder, Chronicles Far from the “

WASHINGTON — The House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday cleared three bills that would speed up the process for countries seeking to buy US weaponry, but voted down one measure that would have loosened restrictions on Foreign Military Financing (FMF) dollars. That bill — which would have allowed any country to use FMF to buy US weaponry through direct commercial sales — was taken down in a 23-23 vote after two Republicans, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry and Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, sided with the Democrats. FMF funding are dollars which are given out as grants to foreign countries, with the…