Tagged: #pacific

48 stories found

The debating chamber of the Parliament of Fiji with rows of members' seats

Fijian committee puts Australia defence treaty on hold as Rabuka vows another route

A Fijian parliamentary committee wants talks reopened on the Veitacini defence treaty with Australia, citing visiting forces and intelligence sharing.

TaiwanDefence · 1h ago · 3 min read

A black Collins-class submarine moored alongside a pier at the HMAS Stirling naval base

Indo-Pacific

Independent Australian inquiry urges the government to scrap the AUKUS submarine deal

A union and community-backed inquiry led by Peter Garrett and ex-defence chief Chris Barrie calls AUKUS too costly and risky. Canberra rejects it.

TaiwanDefence · 3h ago · 3 min read

A grey aircraft carrier with a flat flight deck and an island superstructure sailing on open sea, seen from the side

Navy

China has two aircraft carriers at sea as Taiwan counts more than 100 Chinese ships in the Western Pacific

Taiwan's security chief says Chinese navy and coast guard deployments have doubled in a week, as satellite images place the Fujian and Liaoning in separate seas.

TaiwanDefence · 16h ago · 3 min read

Indo-Pacific

US refuses a visa to South Korea's defence committee chair, upending a visit to Indo-Pacific Command

Jin Seong-jun, who chairs the National Assembly defence committee, says Washington turned down his official visa days before a planned trip to US commanders in Hawaii.

TaiwanDefence · 28 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Two grey guided-missile destroyers, an Indian ship on the left and a US ship on the right, sailing side by side on open sea

ANALYSISAnalysis

What India's approval of Project 18A destroyers settles, and what it leaves open

India's defence council cleared Project 18A destroyers on 26 October 2026, but their size, number and engines are still unsettled and service entry looks a decade away.

TaiwanDefence · 28 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Portrait of Finnish Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen in a dark suit and tie

Industry

Japan and Finland sign a pact to transfer defence equipment and develop weapons together

The agreement sets rules for moving military kit and technology between the two countries and opens the door to joint research and production.

TaiwanDefence · 26 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A grey Indian Air Force Su-30MKI fighter with its canopy open and yellow boarding ladders as a crew member climbs up on a sunny flight line

Indo-Pacific

India's outgoing air chief says theatre commands must not split fighter fleets by region

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh wants a phased, India-specific joint command structure and says the air force is watching the Indo-Pacific closely.

TaiwanDefence · 25 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A grey Fijian navy patrol boat numbered 401 sails past a ship on which a US Coast Guard sailor and an Australian sailor stand watching

Indo-Pacific

Fiji launches its first maritime security strategy as Australia pledges Bluebottle sea drones

Fiji's defence minister says the plan targets drug runners and illegal fishing, while Australia will give the navy solar-powered uncrewed patrol vessels.

TaiwanDefence · 24 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A white Taiwan Coast Guard Administration patrol boat marked PP-3582, decorated with flags, hangs from a crane just above the water inside a shipyard shed

Cross-Strait

Taiwan coast guard says China pairs militia boats with coast guard ships to prepare the battlefield

Answering Reuters, Taiwan's coast guard confirmed it drove off the suspected militia boat Minfudingyu 07902 in August and warned of pressure on Japan and the Philippines.

TaiwanDefence · 23 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Grey Republic of Singapore Navy stealth frigate RSS Supreme with hull number 73 moored at a naval base pier

Indo-Pacific

India and Singapore open SIMBEX naval drills at Visakhapatnam with anti-submarine warfare at the core

The 33rd SIMBEX began on 21 October as RSS Supreme reached Visakhapatnam, with a Bay of Bengal sea phase of anti-submarine, anti-air and surface drills set for 24-26 October.

TaiwanDefence · 22 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Papua New Guinea soldiers in light blue shirts and green berets marching in formation with rifles

Indo-Pacific

Australia opens its military to recruits from Papua New Guinea under their new defence treaty

Applications open on 16 November for a A$65 million pilot meant to bring about 100 Papua New Guinean students and graduates into the ADF over two years.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A grey Chinese H-6 bomber flying above a smaller grey J-16 fighter jet over the sea

Cross-Strait

Taiwan tracks 27 Chinese military aircraft as 21 cross the median line in a combat patrol and far-sea drill

Taiwan's defence ministry said fighters, H-6 bombers and KJ-500 early warning aircraft joined Chinese warships on a combat patrol and a far-sea long voyage.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Malaysian Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin shaking hands with then US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

Indo-Pacific

Japan and Malaysia see need for a maritime security plan as Malaysia's defence chief visits Tokyo

Shinjiro Koizumi and Mohamed Khaled Nordin discussed the East and South China Seas, while Malaysia sounded out Japan on defence technology transfer.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Indian Navy aircraft carrier INS Vikrant sailing at sea with fighter jets on its flight deck

Indo-Pacific

Indian Navy has 42 ships on order and early approval for 78 more platforms and 120 interceptor craft

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar said bids are out for four amphibious landing docks as the navy pushes home-built engines, drones, counter-drone systems and quantum technology.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Indian and Australian army soldiers standing in formation at the opening ceremony of an AustraHind exercise

Indo-Pacific

India and Australia open AUSTRAHIND army drill built around island and coastal operations

The fifth India-Australia army exercise opened in Kerala with about 240 troops training for island and coastal missions, and New Zealand observing for the first time.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

U.S. Army HIMARS launcher firing a rocket during an exercise in the Philippines

Indo-Pacific

US Army Pacific chief says showing China more firepower is how to deter war

In a Financial Times interview reported on 19 October 2026, Gen. Ronald Clark cited Typhon deployments and HIMARS live-fires using South Korean ammunition as visible signals meant to make Beijing pause.

TaiwanDefence · 20 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A grey Indian Navy stealth frigate with hull number F49 sails at sea seen from the deck of a large aircraft carrier

Indo-Pacific

Indian frigate and Russian Pacific Fleet corvette fire guns together in the Sea of Japan

INS Sahyadri and the corvette Aldar Tsydenzhapov fired at sea and air targets and fought off mock drone attacks in the INDRA 2026 exercise, Russia's fleet said.

TaiwanDefence · 19 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Hobart-class destroyer HMAS Sydney arriving at Pearl Harbor for RIMPAC 2026

Indo-Pacific

Australia's HMAS Sydney returns after a 131-day Indo-Pacific deployment

The Hobart-class destroyer ended its regional presence cruise at Fleet Base East after RIMPAC, allied exercises, and a South China Sea meeting with HMAS Stuart.

TaiwanDefence · 18 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Two camouflaged South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzers on a dirt range at sunset, one seen from behind with a South Korean flag on its turret

Indo-Pacific

South Korea's army spent over 3 trillion won in five years keeping overage weapons running

Army data given to a lawmaker show 3.08 trillion won went on maintaining tanks, howitzers and helicopters past their service lives, as she urges faster retirement.

TaiwanDefence · 18 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A large black Russian nuclear submarine moored at an icy pier with snow-covered hills behind it

Indo-Pacific

Russian military says its nuclear submarine hit sea and land targets with cruise missiles in a Pacific drill

Moscow says the Yasen-M submarine Novosibirsk, firing while submerged, hit a mock warship 170 km away and a Kamchatka range target over 1,200 km away.

TaiwanDefence · 18 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A US Army HIMARS truck launches a rocket in a burst of flame and smoke across dry grassland under a clear blue sky

Indo-Pacific

US Army's new warfighting guidance plans for a prolonged fight along the First Island Chain

The How the Army Fights guidance calls for pre-positioned stocks, hardened command posts and munition reserves inside the island chain to blunt China's A2/AD networks.

TaiwanDefence · 17 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A grey twin-tailed fighter jet with landing gear down touches down on a runway

Indo-Pacific

Japan's fighter scrambles jump by two-thirds as Chinese and Russian flights surge

The Air Self-Defense Force launched jets 442 times in the six months to September, with Chinese aircraft behind 285 of them and the southwestern islands nearest Taiwan still the busiest front.

TaiwanDefence · 17 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

A grey naval vessel with a tall mast and a wide flat aft deck cuts through calm blue water, with hills on the horizon

Indo-Pacific

India commissions INS Samarthak, the first major warship built by a private yard for its navy

The 107-metre L&T-built multi-purpose vessel will trial home-grown weapons and sensors, launch targets and drones, and patrol, India's navy chief said at Karwar.

TaiwanDefence · 17 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Australian Vice Admiral Mark Hammond in naval uniform standing aboard a US Navy ship

Indo-Pacific

Australia's defence chief says Canberra is watching China's Taiwan moves very carefully

Adm. Mark Hammond, in a Tokyo Kyodo interview, calls the Indo-Pacific buildup the largest since World War II and stresses the status quo and a rules-based order.

TaiwanDefence · 17 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A green containerised laser weapon system with a turret-mounted beam director and a mast-mounted sensor under a blue sky

Indo-Pacific

South Korean Army watches Hanwha lasers shoot down all three target drones in live demo

Cheongwang and a 30-kilowatt vehicle laser hit every drone at the Army TIGER+ exercise, as Seoul pitches shots costing about $1.50 to foreign buyers.

TaiwanDefence · 16 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Malaysian Army soldiers in camouflage uniforms gather inside a tent to examine a filled blood bag during field medical training

Indo-Pacific

US Army medics test autonomous blood delivery as Pacific distances break the golden hour

The 18th Theater Medical Command wants surgery and blood pushed to the point of injury, stocks held west of the date line, and blood-sharing deals with Japan and Australia.

TaiwanDefence · 16 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr standing outdoors near turquoise lagoon waters and limestone islands

Indo-Pacific

Palau's president tells China that recognising Taiwan is our choice, not yours

In Canberra, Surangel Whipps Jr cites Chinese tourism inducements, retaliation threats, EEZ research ships and a July ballistic missile shot, urging Japan and South Korea to strengthen Pacific forces.

TaiwanDefence · 16 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Japan's defence minister in a dark suit with his hand on his chest beside a uniformed navy admiral at a ship launch ceremony

Indo-Pacific

Japan set to leave Trump's 3.5% defence spending target out of its new security strategy

Tokyo still plans a big rise in defence and related outlays, but officials say a fixed 3.5 per cent of GDP goal would force tax rises it cannot sell, the Asahi reports.

TaiwanDefence · 16 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

U.S. Army Typhon missile launcher during Salaknib exercise in the Philippines

Indo-Pacific

US Army Pacific says a continuing resolution is its biggest challenge for fires and networks

Gen. Ronald Clark says the fiscal 2027 stopgap is freezing Mission Partner Network gear and cheaper long-range precision fires while munitions leaders scramble on Patriot and THAAD output.

TaiwanDefence · 16 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A US Army general in camouflage uniform and sunglasses stands in a field tent beside an Australian officer while a Marine works at a laptop

Indo-Pacific

US Army Pacific chief says China keeps preparing for war despite Trump-Xi thaw

Gen. Ronald Clark says Patriot moves to the Iran war have not raised Pacific risk, but a US budget freeze is holding up new long-range fires.

TaiwanDefence · 15 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning underway with island superstructure visible

Navy

China sends the Liaoning carrier group into the Western Pacific after Lai's National Day speech

Beijing calls the 14 October cruise routine training, but Taiwanese reporting notes the same political timing pattern as the group's long May-June voyage.

TaiwanDefence · 14 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier underway at sea with aircraft on deck

ANALYSISAnalysis

The US carriers Taiwan would need are fighting Iran or still crossing the Pacific

As of 13 October 2026, USNI's fleet map shows Japan's homeported carrier in the Arabian Sea while Theodore Roosevelt is mid-Pacific — thin decks for a China crisis.

TaiwanDefence · 14 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

US Army officers in uniform and civilian clothes listen as a South Korean Navy worker in a hard hat points to a display inside a factory hall.

Indo-Pacific

US Army in Korea wants to become the spare-parts factory for American forces across the Indo-Pacific

Eighth Army is printing and machining parts for troops in Okinawa and Guam, to keep US forces supplied inside the First Island Chain off China's coast.

TaiwanDefence · 13 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

Navy

India commissions third Kochi-built submarine hunter as navy promises a new ship every 40 to 50 days

Mangrol, a 900-tonne shallow-water anti-submarine craft, joined the fleet in Mumbai as a senior admiral said 10 ships have entered service this year and eight more are due.

TaiwanDefence · 13 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Lockheed C-130H Hercules transport aircraft on the ground

ANALYSISAnalysis

Japan's first ACSA fuel draw in the Philippines is logistics practice Taiwan would need

On 9 October 2026 Tokyo confirmed its ASDF drew fuel from the Philippine Air Force under ACSA for the first time during Doshin-Bayanihan drills.

TaiwanDefence · 13 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

A grey B-21 Raider flying-wing stealth bomber taking off with its landing gear down

ANALYSISAnalysis

A faster B-21 line speeds the bomber's arrival, but the Pacific question is how many America buys

The 2026 groundbreaking of a new B-21 assembly line lifts output by a quarter, yet the fleet size Indo-Pacific commanders want awaits a 2027 budget call.

TaiwanDefence · 12 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

A large white coast guard ship marked Taiwan R.O.C. Coast Guard, with orange lifeboats on its side, as crew in orange uniforms line up on the quay beside it.

Indo-Pacific

Taiwan coast guard cutters patrol Palau's waters and sail farther south than ever before

The cutters Chiayi and Penghu ran a two-day joint patrol of Palau's exclusive economic zone with Palauan officers aboard and set a new southernmost record.

TaiwanDefence · 11 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

The grey multi-storey US Embassy building in Tokyo with an American flag out front under a clear blue sky

Indo-Pacific

Paparo briefed US envoys, including Taiwan's AIT chief, on PLA moves at Tokyo meeting, report says

Ambassadors to Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing joined the Indo-Pacific commander at the US Embassy in Tokyo before Trump's China trip, a Korean daily says.

TaiwanDefence · 11 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A US Army HIMARS rocket launcher truck fires a rocket in a burst of smoke and flame on a training range

Indo-Pacific

US Army activates fourth multi-domain task force to target Indo-Pacific defences

The new long-range fires formation at Fort Carson will grow to about 2,100 soldiers and report to the Army's Pacific multi-domain headquarters.

TaiwanDefence · 10 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

F-16V Block 70 fighter aircraft in flight

Indo-Pacific

North Korea warns US over Taiwan fighter deliveries and arms support

A KCNA commentary blasted US arms support for Taiwan after the first F-16V Block 70 jets arrived, warning Washington about confronting China.

TaiwanDefence · 9 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

JS Taigei, a grey diesel-electric attack submarine with the sail number 513, sails outbound past industrial waterfront buildings.

Navy

Japan launches seventh Taigei-class submarine Shogei in Kobe

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries floated the diesel-electric boat for the Maritime Self-Defense Force on 8 October as Tokyo weighs propulsion choices for a larger VLS-armed follow-on design.

TaiwanDefence · 9 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

A large white ship marked Taiwan R.O.C. Coast Guard with orange lifeboats, crew in orange uniforms standing along its rails and on the quay under a grey sky.

Indo-Pacific

Taiwan coast guard sends Chiayi and new cutter Penghu to Palau on second Friendship Fleet voyage

The two patrol vessels docked at Malakal Harbor on 6 October for long-range training, a call on President Whipps and a joint patrol with Palauan law enforcement.

TaiwanDefence · 7 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

NMESIS launcher vehicle being maneuvered at Camp Hansen on Okinawa

ANALYSISAnalysis

Yonaguni NMESIS package turns Keen Sword into a Taiwan-adjacent sea-denial rehearsal

Reporting dated 5 October 2026 details the first Marine Corps NMESIS and MADIS package planned for Yonaguni in Keen Sword, rehearsing distributed coastal fires within about 110 kilometres of Taiwan.

TaiwanDefence · 6 Oct 2026 · 3 min read

U.S. Army Patriot missile launches during a Pacific exercise

Indo-Pacific

Yui presses Trump to speed stalled 14 billion dollar Taiwan arms package

Taiwan envoy Alexander Yui told Bloomberg he expects approval of the delayed arms package, heavy on air defence, and said Taipei must not become a bargaining chip.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Taiwan Army soldiers launch an Altius-600M unmanned aircraft from a ground tube

ANALYSISAnalysis

Japan fields six V-BATs as Taiwan funds drones

On 5 October 2026, Jiji and The Japan Times reported Japan MSDF flying six V-BATs. Taiwan's 27 August NT$240bn drone law and same-day Altius LOA keep the delivery test through 2026-28.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Oct 2026 · 43 min read

Illustrative file photograph of Tiananmen Square in Beijing

ANALYSISAnalysis

Ban Keun Laos hub extends PLA air reach toward Taiwan routes

China and Laos opened Ban Keun joint aviation facilities; Taiwan INDSR links the hub to Malacca routes and Taiwan Strait air corridors.

TaiwanDefence · 5 Oct 2026 · 4 min read

Former President Tsai Ing-wen speaking at a podium with microphone

Indo-Pacific

Tsai to keynote Stanford DEFCON on tech, defense and national resilience

The former president will open Stanford's Technology and National Security Conference on Oct. 7, her first U.S. trip since leaving office, focusing on semiconductors, partnerships, and defense resilience.

TaiwanDefence · 3 Oct 2026 · 2 min read

Japanese Type 12 land-to-ship missile launcher on display at Camp Kengun

Indo-Pacific

US-Japan Keen Sword to put new anti-ship missiles near Taiwan

Keen Sword from 19 October will stage US NMESIS and Japanese land-based anti-ship missiles on southwest islands, with no live missile firings planned.

TaiwanDefence · 2 Oct 2026 · 2 min read