Current Events in Asia-Pacific

How Powerful Is China’s Military? The Pentagon’s New China Report Offers Answers (1945) Link to the CMPR: Military and Security Developments Involving the PRC 2021 (DOD, pdf) The Pentagon’s 2021 China Military Power Report: My Summary (Andrew Erickson)

China Welcomes Its Newest Armed Force: The Coast Guard (War on the Rocks)

China Reclaimed Land for South China Sea Anti-Submarine Helicopter Base Near Vietnam (USNI News)

The Week (Indian newspaper)

Australia commissions first Hobart-class air warfare destroyer (Jane's)

On the presence of both UK and Chinese carriers in the zone: https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41752/british-and-chinese-aircraft-carriers-both-underway-in-the-tense-south-china-sea To follow the steaming of USS Tulsa LCS-16, apparently armed with only 1xNSM and perhaps "something" in the combat module after the gun: https://www.surfpac.navy.mil/Media/News/Article/2713202/uss-tulsa-lcs-16-sails-in-the-philippine-sea/ https://www.facebook.com/TulsaBlue/ Just here: https://scontent.fvlc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/201997926_1132684547227946_3551401952423554092_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&ccb=1-3&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=KNsC5f80kWIAX_thJHI&_nc_ht=sc…

How Might North Korea Test an ICBM? (38 North)

Initial Analysis of North Korea’s “New Type Long-Range Cruise Missile” (38 North)

China installs weapons systems on artificial islands: U.S. think tank (Reuters)

This Is Not The ICBM You Are Looking For; Detailed Analysis Of North Korean Missile (Breaking Defense)

North Korea's Nuclear Futures: Technology and Strategy (pdf, 38 North)

North Korea’s Musudan Missile: A Performance Assessment (38 North)

Suspected to be a nuclear submarine shipyard, in the analysis is more probably a merchant ship module mounting installation: Original article in The National Interest: http://nationalinterest.org/feature/why-everyone-wrong-about-chinas-next-gen-submarines-21631 Expanded article (24 pages) in The Admiral Trilogy website: http://www.admiraltytrilogy.com/pdf/Bohai.pdf

From DefenseNews [excerpt]

New BVRAAM may have entered PLAAF service (Jane's)

North Korea Missile Test Database (NTI)

I know radar ranges are ever contested, and usually don't write about it to avoid irresoluble feuds. But the last week discovered one or some Korean Wikipedia editors have detailed some radar ranges compilations and number of T/R modules (From OSINT) on many radar types entries on Korean Wikipedia: https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/SPY-1 And here Chinese radar ranges (Obviously South Koreans are very interested on it!): https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/346%EC%8B%9D_%EB%A0%88%EC%9D%B4%EB%8D%94

How China Could Quarantine Taiwan, Part 1 of a ChinaPower Series (CSIS, 5 June 2024) How China Could Blockade Taiwan, Part 2 of a ChinaPower Series (CSIS, 22 August 2024)

DF-26 IRBM may have ASM variant, China reveals at 3 September parade (Jane's) Interesting development, especially as it was touted as a 'Guam killer'. Now it might be both? (keeping in mind that the ASBM concept still has some gaping holes)

US ‘Steadily Retreating’ In South China Sea Dispute (Breaking Defense) Ouch.