Current Events in Asia-Pacific

'Arms race' leaving our subs all at sea The Age

From RIA Novosti Russian 'killer of aircraft carriers' starts drills in Pacific 15:45 | 26/ 05/ 2008 VLADIVOSTOK, May 26 (RIA Novosti) - The Varyag, a Russian Slava-class missile cruiser dubbed 'the killer of aircraft carriers,' has started a series of live-firing exercises in the Pacific for the first time since a recent overhaul, a fleet spokesman said Monday. Varyag, the flagship of the Russian Pacific Fleet, was commissioned in Russia's Pacific Fleet in 1989 and re-entered service in early 2008 following a major refit that lasted almost a year. "The Varyag's crew is scheduled to conduct a series of live firing drills against ground, surface, and air t…

Apparently, the "Shipwreck" VLS cells are still there... I'm looking forward to this actually getting a new name; I don't like "ex-Varyag". [The title is a pun on "MGM Grand"; a reference to the 'casino' this was apparently being sold to become]

From Marine Corps Times November 01, 2006 24th MEU trains in India By John Hoellwarth Staff writer A company of infantrymen from the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit is in the middle of a three-day training exercise with the Indian army in Karnataka, India, according to a release from India’s Press Information Bureau. The exercise, which ends Thursday, is intended to streamline military cooperation between the two countries during counterterrorism and urban-combat missions by requiring each to share intelligence, communications, weapons and equipment, according to the release. It was unclear whether the Camp Pendleton, Calif.-base…

From RIA Novosti [excerpt] CV32: In light of this kind of resurgence and the pace of Chinese fighter advances, the failure to offer the F-22 to the JASDF continues to be a head scratcher.

Timeline: A Brief History of North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Development (USNI News)

A China-US war in space: The after-action report (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

Shenyang F-60 UCAV

A Glimpse Into China's Military Presence in the South China Sea (Stratfor)

China Daily

From the Summer 2011 issue of US Naval War College Review: A New Carrier Race? (PDF) A lengthy discussion about the JMSDF's new DDH Hyuga.

A Player, but No Superpower (Foreign Policy, Argument) Once again, Andrew Erickson nails it, imho.

Here is interesting fodder for scenario designers. I do not believe that it has been posted previously. A Question of Balance Pete

From Air Force Magazine, Feb 2012 issue [excerpt]

A Russia-China Alliance Brewing? (The Diplomat)

A Special Report on Taiwan Defense (American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei)

Wall Street Journal April 9, 2007 Pg. 4 A Thaw For China And Japan? As Economies Become Intertwined, Nations Soften Stances By Sebastian Moffett and Jason Leow The complex and rocky relations between China and Japan these past few years have been neatly summed up in both countries by four Chinese characters: "politics -- cold; economy -- hot." Bilateral trade has doubled over the past four years, and exports of machinery and chemicals to China helped drag Japan's economy out of a slump. But there was little love lost between the governments and people. Japan's last prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, insisted on visiting Yasukuni, a shrine to Jap…

ADIZ Update: Enforcement in the East China Sea, Prospects for the South China Sea, and Implications for the United States (US China Commission, pdf)

Admiral Says China Outnumbers US in Attack Submarines (DOD Buzz)

Admiral stresses more talk between navies By Rod McGuirk - The Associated Press Posted : Thursday May 3, 2007 8:05:12 EDT CANBERRA, Australia — China will likely expand its navy and send its ships further out on the high seas to take a more active role in securing global sea lanes vital to its burgeoning economy, the U.S. naval commander in Japan said Thursday. Rear Adm. James Kelly said the strategic shift heightened the need for operational transparency between the world’s navies “so we don’t have a misinterpretation of something out on the high seas.” “As their economy continues to grow ... I suspect that China is thinking that they need to have a blue…