I helped establish the Office of Countering Violent Extremism in 2016. In July, Trump shut us down. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/18/world/trump-is-killing-programs-that-prevent-terrorism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #donaldtrump #charliekirk #terrorism #defense
Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan have signed a formal mutual defense pact, in a move that significantly strengthens a decadeslong security partnership amid heightened regional tensions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/world/politics/saudi-arabia-pakistan-defence-pact/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #saudiarabia #pakistan #defense
African leaders warn that global military spending being at its highest since the Cold War is leaving less international aid available to help their countries adapt to the climate crisis. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/world/military-africa-climate-finance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #defense #africa #climatechange
Japan would be a "capable participant" in the evolving U.S.-U.K.-Australia defense partnership, an unreleased U.S. State Department assessment to Congress has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/japan/japan-role-in-us-uk-australia-defense-pact/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #usjapanrelations #defense #defenseministry #sdf #aukus
Japan's government has pledged to give heavy machinery for disaster relief worth ¥400 million ($2.73 million) to Papua New Guinea under its official security assistance program. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/17/japan/official-security-assistance-to-papua-new-guinea/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #papuanewguineajapanrelations #papuanewguinea #defense #china
Australia and Papua New Guinea have postponed signing a major mutual defense treaty, Canberra’s latest stumble as it seeks to counterbalance Beijing’s expanding presence and clout in the Pacific region. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/17/asia-pacific/politics/australia-papua-new-guinea-defense-treaty/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #australia #indopacific #papuanewguinea #defense #china #anthonyalbanese #jamesmarape
China’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday offered the latest hint that its third and largest aircraft carrier could soon enter service, after it undergoes further testing and training in the disputed South China Sea. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/16/asia-pacific/china-fujian-aircraft-carrier-south-china-sea/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #china #aircraftcarriers #pla #southchinasea #taiwan #disputedislands #chinajapanrelations #defense #defenseministry
Recent moves raise broader strategic questions for U.S. forces in South Korea beyond simple troop numbers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/16/world/trump-and-the-south-korea-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #southkorea #us #southkoreausrelations #china #northkorea #defense#leejaemyung
Astroscale Holdings, which had 30% of its record quarterly revenue in the first quarter come from defense contracts, expects satellite orders to rise under new space-defense guidelines from the U.K. and Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/16/companies/astroscale-satellite-orders/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #astroscale #satellites #uk #space #defense #defenseministry
Australia is confident its wide-ranging AUKUS security agreement will push ahead despite a Pentagon review, sources said, with Canberra recently announcing at least $9 billion in related defense investments. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/16/asia-pacific/aukus-us-review/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific#aukus #us #donaldtrump #australia #uk #defense #china #anthonyalbanese
Thousands of Poles are signing up for voluntary military training as the Polish Army seeks to fill its ranks with professional and voluntary personnel out of concern for Russia. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/14/world/politics/russia-poland-military-training/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #poland #europe #eu #ukraine #russia #russiaukrainewar #vladimirputin #defense
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister condemned upcoming joint military drills by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan as a "reckless show of strength" that would bring "bad results." https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/14/asia-pacific/north-korea-military-exercises/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #kimyojong #kimjongun #northkorea #nuclearweapons #southkorea #usmilitary #sdf #defense
The Defense Ministry plans to have the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis destroyer Chokai test-fire a U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missile in the United States by next summer. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/14/japan/msdf-chokai-test-fire-tomahawk/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #msdf #missiles #aegis #usjapanrelations #sdf #usmilitary #china #northkorea #russia
The Chinese military denounced a second joint patrol this month in the South China Sea involving the Philippines and partner navies, as tensions in the waterway soar. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/14/asia-pacific/politics/japan-south-china-sea-patrol/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #southchinasea #china #pla #philippines #defense #sdf #msdf #disputedislands #usmilitary
To equate Japan in the 1940s with Israel today would be false; one was an imperial autocracy, the other a modern democracy. But both reveal the tragedy of citizens carried by the tide of war. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/12/world/war-responsibility-across-borders-generations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #imperialjapan #israel #gaza #war #defense
France will deploy three fighter jets to "help protect Polish airspace," President Emmanuel Macron said, after Warsaw accused Russia of launching a drone raid on its territory. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/12/world/france-poland-fighter-jets/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #france #poland #russia #fighterjets #defense #russiaukrainewar
Japan has successfully test-fired a railgun against a target vessel at sea, taking it a step closer to becoming the first nation to deploy the cutting-edge weapon system. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/11/japan/railgun-test-firing/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defenseministry #defense #guns #msdf
Japan and the Philippines are set to intensify joint military activities after a visiting-forces agreement entered into force, paving the way for rotational Self-Defense Force deployments to the Southeast Asian country. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/11/japan/raa-take-effect/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #raa #philippinesjapanrelations #defense #sdf
A suspected Russian incursion involving drones in Poland is raising questions for NATO over whether it is well equipped enough to deal with such threats. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/11/world/poland-airspace-incursion-nato-defense/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #nato #poland #defense #russiaukrainewar #drones
Virtually all nuclear weapons trends are negative and the institutions built to address them are failing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/09/world/nuclear-picture-grows-darker/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #nuclearweapons #defense #us #china #northkorea #russia #nuclearnonproliferationtreaty#npt