China’s military shipyards now are surpassing Western European, Japanese, and Korean military shipbuilders in terms of both the types and numbers of ships they can build. If Beijing prioritizes progress, China’s military shipbuilding technical capabilities can likely become as good as Russia’s are now by 2020 and will near current U.S. shipbuilding technical proficiency levels […]
Big fishing concerns are engaged in “ocean-grabbing,” plundering the seas while scoffing at the environment and local interests, the UN’s food watchdog said on Tuesday. In exceptionally sharp words, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on food, Olivier de Schutter, said the interests of smaller fishermen, local communities and sustainable fishing were threatened by long-distance, industrial-scale […]
During the recent foreign policy debate, the president presumed to instruct his opponent: “Governor Romney maybe hasn’t spent enough time looking at how our military works. You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature […]
The most important facts about Iran go unstated because they are so obvious. Any glance at a map would tell us what they are. And these facts explain how regime change or evolution in Tehran — when, not if, it comes — will dramatically alter geopolitics from the Mediterranean to the Indian subcontinent and beyond. […]
China‘s first aircraft carrier has entered into service, the defence ministry says. The 300m (990ft) Liaoning – named after the province where it was refitted – is a refurbished Soviet ship purchased from Ukraine. For now the carrier has no operational aircraft and will be used for training. But China says the vessel, which has undergone extensive sea […]
The whole world is watching China‘s confrontations in the South China Sea and the East China Sea—but India is watching with particular concern. India has no territorial claims here per se, but one Indian official recently said that the South China Sea could be seen “as the antechamber of the Indian Ocean,” given the flow […]
The fight against Somali-based pirates is becoming a private battle as global defence cuts reduce naval counter-piracy deployments. Because governments have struggled to contain the spread of piracy in the Indian Ocean, shipping companies have turned to private military security companies to guarantee the safety of their crews and cargo. Private armed teams have proliferated […]
India has taken two important decisions for stepping up its defense cooperation with the Maldives, a country situated in the Indian Ocean. This is significant when considering China’s recently-enlarged strategic footprint in the area. To begin with, the Indian government has decided to station a Defense Attaché at Male, the capital of Maldives. Additionally, India has […]
State Councillor and Minister of National Defence of China Liang Guanglieis the most senior Chinese military official to visit India since the visit of his predecessor, Cao Gangchuan, in 2004. On the eve of his arrival in Delhi at the invitation of Defence Minister A.K. Antony, General Liang provided written answers to questions submitted by editors […]
looking beyond borders 