INDO-PACIFIC
Share
South China Sea Tensions Surge as China Steps Up Patrols around Scarborough Shoal
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command has announced a fresh round of naval and air patrols around Scarborough Shoal, the coral outcrop that has become the unlikeliest flashpoint of the Indo-Pacific’s simmering strategic contest. The declaration, terse but…
Chagos Archipelago: Britain’s Self-Inflicted Strategic Retreat in the Indian Ocean
There are bad ideas in politics, and then there are ideas so recklessly self-defeating that one wonders whether national interest has been deliberately left out of the room. The UK’s current Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposed handover of the Chagos…
Reclaiming Port of Darwin From China: Australia Sends a Signal of Resolve
In an increasingly volatile world, where strategic certainty is at a premium, Australia’s recent decision to reclaim control of the Port of Darwin represents more than a policy adjustment — it is a confident assertion of national interest that other…
Iran: Washington’s latest drills send a message Tehran cannot ignore
In Washington’s corridors of power, where rhetoric often alternates between bravado and caution, the announcement this week of a multi-day aerial military exercise in the Middle East has been portrayed by the Pentagon as a routine demonstration of readiness. Yet…
Indonesia’s Rafale Deal Shows Europe’s Defence Industry Is Back in the Game
When Indonesia’s first Rafale fighter jets touched down at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Base this month, the moment carried significance far beyond Southeast Asia. Three French-built aircraft arriving on the tarmac in Sumatra may appear, at first glance, to be a…
Japan Steps Forward as a Pillar of Pacific Security
For much of the post-war era, Japan defined itself by restraint. Its pacifist constitution, born of defeat and devastation, shaped a national identity rooted in economic strength rather than military power. Yet as we move into 2026, Japan is quietly…
Danger on the edge of the Pacific: Tokyo protests after Chinese fighter jets lock radar on Japanese fighters
In a sharp escalation of regional tensions, Tokyo has formally protested after People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) fighter jets allegedly directed fire-control radar at aircraft of Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) in two “dangerous” incidents near the southern island of…
India’s Lease of Russian Nuclear Submarine Bratsk: Modernisation, Missiles and Sanctions Risk
India is expected to receive a leased Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine, K-391 Bratsk, in 2028 under a contract first agreed in 2019 and now formally acknowledged in Moscow. The 36-year-old Project 971 “Shchuka-B” (NATO: Akula-class) boat is to serve with…
Britain’s £4 Billion Maritime Deal with Indonesia Strengthens Security and Jobs
In a diplomatic and industrial masterstroke, the United Kingdom and Indonesia have signed a landmark £4 billion maritime agreement, marking a profound deepening of cooperation between two of the world’s great maritime powers. The deal, announced on 21st November 2025,…
Japan Is Right to Prepare for Military Action if China Strikes Taiwan
Japan’s growing willingness to contemplate military action in the event of a Chinese assault on Taiwan is not merely a diplomatic signal. It is a long-overdue recognition of strategic reality. For too long, the illusion of distance — political, legal,…