Current Events in Asia-Pacific

Multiple Spaces Flooded on Stranded U.S. Minesweeper (DefenseNews)

From Defence Aerospace New Helicopters Selected for the NZ Defence Force (Source: New Zealand Ministry of Defence; dated March 31, web-posted April 4, 2005) Minister of Defence, Mark Burton, announced today that NH Industries’ NH90 helicopter has been selected to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s ageing Iroquois. The new helicopters will represent another significant step in re-equipping all three services of the NZDF. “The NH90 is a modern, very capable helicopter with a growing international customer base and assured long-term support. It has been designed to meet current and future requirements and provides an excellent long-term investment. …

From Australian ABC news service: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-13/taipan-helicopter-fly-again-talisman-sabre-nz/105522512?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link

From Jane's [excerpt]

Washington Times December 22, 2005 Pg. 15 Official Sees China As 'Considerable Threat' TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso told a press conference early today that China is beginning to pose a considerable threat, referring to its military buildup. China is "a neighbor equipped with nuclear bombs and has expanded its military outlays for 12 years in a row," Mr. Aso said. "It is beginning to be a considerable threat." The remarks appeared to signal a new approach in the way Tokyo looks at its giant neighbor. Japan normally emphasizes accommodation, not criticism, in its comments on China. Mr. Aso's remarks come against a rapidl…

Ohio sub a new twist on underwater warfare By Eric Talmadge - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Feb 15, 2008 17:17:15 EST ABOARD THE USS OHIO, SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN — Capt. Andy Hale has just worked out and is still in a sweaty T-shirt and shorts as he stands in the battle command center. He watches a flat screen display that shows what’s happening outside on the bow and the aft. His billion-dollar submarine — the Navy’s newest twist on underwater warfare — is hovering just below the surface off the Pacific island of Guam as a submersible disappears into the dark waters, carrying a team of commandos. The Ohio is the first of a new class of sub…

From Jane's Oil and debt underpin Russian submarine sales to Vietnam By Jon Grevatt 29 April 2009 An expected deal between Vietnam and Russia over the former's procurement of six Kilo-class submarines - which was announced on 27 April by Russia's state news agency - is likely to be founded on debt, oil and a Moscow commitment to help modernise Vietnam's shipbuilding industries, Jane's understands. Carl Thayer, a specialist in the Vietnamese military and a professor of politics at the University of New South Wales' Australian Defence Force Academy, added that the deal - reportedly worth USD1.8 billion - had been under negotiation for many years. "Vietnam …

CV32: Or, is it that Okinawa is needed to defend Taiwan? From DefenseNews U.S. Says Okinawa Base Needed To Defend Japan By SHAUN TANDON, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Published: 17 Mar 2010 21:37 WASHINGTON - The United States said March 17 that it needs to maintain a base on the Japanese island of Okinawa to defend the region, as the new government in Tokyo considers scrapping a previous plan. Senior U.S. officials told Congress that while they respected the decisions of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama's six-month-old government, they hoped to go ahead with a plan to move the Futenma air base within Okinawa. Michael Schiffer, a senior Pentagon official, told a…

The PLA Navy: New Capabilities and Missions for the 21st Century (ONI)

A short but concise article in Mer et Marine (in French) about other Far East navies: South and North Korea, Vietnam (with a clear photo of a Gepard), Thailand, Malaysia, Phlippines and Brunei. by Bernard Prézelin, editor of Combat Fleets of the World (and from April Mer et Marine will be of pay ): http://www.meretmarine.com/fr/node/72730

PACAF’s “Vision” Thing By Richard Halloran Find the air force Magazine article here. A new wargame tells airmen what it will take to hold the line in the Far East. Pacific Air Forces has begun to forge a doctrine of AirSea Battle with the intent of deterring any Chinese, North Korean, or Russian military aggression in Asia and the Pacific. The doctrine is in its early stages of development, and initial findings are being drawn from a two-phase wargame called Pacific Vision, held in October. Pacific Vision’s first phase looked out to 2016, and was centered on Air Force operations. This wargame focused on the weapons, bases, and combat forces that PACAF alre…

Pacific Armadas Growing Far East Navies Mean New Challenges For U.S. By Arthur Herman SOMETHING new and menacing has entered the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, and it's not the great white shark. On Aug. 23, Japan launched its first aircraft carrier since World War Two. The Hyuga only displaces 13,500 tons, compared to the 100,000 tons of an American Nimitz-class behemoth, and it will only carry 11 or so SH-60 anti-submarine helicopters instead of the 90 aircraft and choppers on the USS Nimitz or Eisenhower - at least for now. But as Richard Dorn, naval analyst at the U.S.-based AMI International, notes, "it cannot be denied that the launch of Hyuga is …

There's been a massive earthquake off the coast of Japan, triggering a tsunami that's caused a lot of damage there; there's tsunami warnings out for most of the Pacific Rim. Stay safe, people.

PaCom chief confident U.S. can deter N. Korea By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press Posted : Friday Apr 13, 2007 9:45:54 EDT SEOUL, South Korea — The new top commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific expressed confidence Friday in the military’s ability to respond to any aggression by North Korea though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have left him with fewer troops on the ground. Adm. Timothy Keating is visiting South Korea for the first time since he assumed control of the U.S. Pacific Command last month. He was expected to discuss the U.S.-South Korea alliance with Korean leaders and have U.S. commanders brief him on the North Korean threat and the status…

From DefenseNews Posted 11/24/06 13:25 Pakistan, China Agree To Jointly Develop AWACS By REUTERS, ISLAMABAD Pakistan and China on Nov. 24 signed a memorandum of understanding for a long-term collaboration in defense production including development of an airborne early warning surveillance system. The announcement came during the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Pakistan. China has been the main supplier of military hardware to Pakistan for decades. A statement from Pakistan’s air force said the two countries agreed on collaboration and co-development of aircraft manufacturing and related fields. Pakistan, concerned over rival India’s growing defense c…

Pakistan Launches Production of New Fighter Jet (DefenseNews)

General characteristics & performance of Shenyang FC-31 (Alert 5)

Moskva takes a shot line from the Petr Velikiy, somewhere in the Indian Ocean in May 2010.

Philippines To Buy 12 S. Korean Fighter Jets (DefenseNews)

A nice pic from the Pitch Black '08 exercise, a biennial exercise held in Australia that focuses on offensive counter air (OCA) and defensive counter air training. Participants included Australia, the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, France, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and NATO. More here: http://www.defence.gov.au/pitchblack08/gal...0625b/index.htm