While the geopolitical focus of Washington policymakers currently appears firmly directed towards Ukraine and Gaza, the recent meeting between the leaders of Japan and the U.S. reinforced a growing security relationship made ever more crucial by the shifting regional balances in the Indo-Pacific region. During a state visit by Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to the White House on April 10, U.S. President Joe Biden declared that the two countries are undergoing their most significant upgrade to their alliance since the signing of a mutual defense treaty in 1960. Biden noted the shifts in ..read more

On early Sunday morning, Tehran launched over two hundred drones and missiles toward Israel in response to an Israeli airstrike in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024. Below is an abbreviated timeline of events that occurred from April 1 through April 15. Timeline April 1, 2024 Israel sends aircraft to conduct an airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, Syria. The attack killed seven Iranian military advisors, including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy General Mohammad Hadi Hajriahimi. Both individuals were senior commanders in the Quds Force, a branch of th ..read more

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has declared his country’s intention of acquiring the Rafale jet fighter from France’s Dassault Aviation. The announcement – made while Vucic was on a two-day visit to France – noted that a firm contract signing is expected in two months. The declaration of a French fighter purchase underlines Serbia’s intention to diversify its sources of military importation, while underlining the fallout for Russian defense exports in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Serbia inherited much of its military inventory from the former Yugoslav Republic, which during the C ..read more

The Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Kolkata steams in formation while participating in Malabar 2020 in the North Arabian Sea – U.S. Navy As tensions boil in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi militants have hijacked and attacked commercial shipping over the past months, the international community has scrambled to address the crisis. While attention has centered on the Houthis, across the sea in Somalia, pirate groups have seen a resurgence after years of inactivity. Since November, more than 20 attempted hijackings have taken place in the wat ..read more

China will raise its defense budget topline by 7.2 percent for 2024 as per a government announcement on March 5 during the second annual session of the 14th National People’s Congress. The latest spending uptick comes as the Chinese economy is continuing to experience headwinds and the government plans for tighter fiscal policy. Rather than a major stimulus push, the official planned expenditure target for fiscal year 2024 reflects spending growth of 3.8 percent year-on-year, or just over half the planned increase for defense. The year-on-year rise in China’s military budget represents a con ..read more

JF-17 Block I fighter jet – Flickr/RA.AZ Azerbaijan’s Air Force may be taking steps to fill a long-standing requirement for fighter aircraft. On February 22, Azernews reported that Azerbaijan’s Air Force inked a $1.6 billion deal with Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (PAC) for the purchase of JF-17 Block III combat aircraft, along with unspecified “ammunition.” The total quantity of jets was not reported, nor were other details, such as delivery schedule, provided.  Neither government has publicly announced the deal, and the recent reports only refer to anonymous sources in Islamabad as ..read more

South Korea’s onward march as growing global defense supplier continues apace. The latest major sale involves a $3.2 billion deal with Saudi Arabia that was signed back in November, but only recently revealed by the country’s defense ministry. The deal involves the sale of 10 KM-SAM Block II medium-range surface-to-air missile systems. The KM-SAM – referred to Republic of Korea Army (ROK Army) service as Cheongung, or Iron Hawk – is a medium-range air-defense system capable of hitting aircraft and missiles out to ranges of 40 kilometers (25 miles). Each KM-SAM Block II battery includes four ..read more

More than 12 years after disbanding its last two tank battalions and mothballing and selling off the entire Royal Netherlands Army fleet of upgraded Leopard 2A6 tanks, Dutch defense officials are now toying with the idea of recreating a tank battalion. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forcing defense ministries across Europe to rethink decades of cuts to their respective militaries, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren and State Secretary of Defense Christophe van der Maat wrote in a response to parliamentary questions on February 5 that the initiative warrants consideration. However, due ..read more

U.S. Marine Corps M777 towed 155 mm howitzers destined for Ukraine – U.S. Marine Corps The U.S. Senate released a proposed $118 billion national security supplemental spending bill, stemming from the administration’s request last fall for new funding to support Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and U.S. border security efforts. The administration’s request has struggled to gain traction on the Hill. For one, the fate of the military aid is now tied to the status of the domestic border security measures in the bill, and Republicans have been pushing for strong border security provisions. Some have a ..read more

Soldiers march past the 2-mile point during the Irbil Iron 12 road march in Irbil, Iraq, Jan. 6, 2018 – U.S. Dept. of Defense The U.S. and Iraqi governments have begun the process of discussing a timeline of withdrawal for the U.S. and allied military personnel stationed in the Middle Eastern nation, according to a Jan. 24 Reuters article. While a formal withdrawal of Washington’s approximately 2,500 personnel in the country is unlikely to come any time soon, the talks reflect a watershed moment for the longstanding U.S. presence in the region at large. Though Washington’s modern footprint ..read more