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Gusty Da Costa A proposed training facility on Indonesia’s Morotai Island is poised to become a focal point for Indo-Pacific defense cooperation. Discussions have focused on upgrading infrastructure for multinational use under Indonesia’s leadership. Jakarta’s proposal was honed during March 2026 meetings between Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Australian Def...

FORUM Staff Poland and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are upgrading their bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership to advance defense industry cooperation. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and ROK President Lee Jae-myung announced the arrangement after meeting in Seoul in mid-April 2026. Lee said he hoped to increase “mutually beneficial” defense industry ties, …

FORUM Staff In the arc of Chinese history, revolutions have been borne of economic mismanagement, humiliation and distance between ruler and ruled. In 1911, a starving population ousted the detached and corrupt Qing dynasty, ending imperial rule. People’s Republic of China (PRC) founder Mao Zedong’s failure to uphold the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) supposed core …

FORUM Staff Japan significantly strengthened its deterrence capabilities when it deployed its first domestically developed long-range missiles and new hyper velocity gliding projectiles (HVGP) in late March 2026. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) deployed the upgraded Type-12 surface-to-ship missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto in southwest Japan, the Defense Ministry s...

The Associated Press The Philippines opened a major Coast Guard base in April 2026 on the remote Thitu Island in the South China Sea as a “steadfast sentinel of our sovereignty” in a region where China has built military bases, including on nearby Subi Reef. China illegally claims most of the sea, a critical trade …