Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

Defence

Defence
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Defence. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Illustration by Henry Wong
US-Venezuela conflict

‘Eager to explore’: Chinese migrants return to Venezuela after Maduro’s capture

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.

videocam
6
Ukraine war

Russia and Ukraine begin 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter

videocam
Ukraine war

Ukrainians sceptical as Russia’s Putin orders Easter truce

Japan

Why Japanese firm’s tie-up with Ukrainian drone maker sparks concerns in Russia

The two firms plan to develop drones that can be ‘deployed quickly and at low cost in the real combat conditions of Ukraine’.

videocam
A drone of a Ukrainian regiment flies with an attached air bomb over a training ground in Zaporizhzhia last month, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Photo: Reuters
Britain

UK tracked Russian submarines in alleged Atlantic ‘covert’ op: defence secretary

John Healey said warships and military aircraft forced Russia to halt activity in UK waters near vital undersea cables and pipelines.

US-China relations

How can Beijing prepare for Trump’s ‘drunken boxing’ style before he meets Xi?

As Trump loomed large in both Iran war and subsequent pause, analysts weigh the importance of rhetoric vs results in his talks with China.

videocam
34
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
The Philippines

Philippines strengthens South China Sea grip with permanent base on Thitu Island

The island, known locally as Pagasa, is home to about 400 Filipinos, whom China accuses of living there illegally.

The Philippine Coast Guard command centre on Thitu Island is unveiled on Thursday. Photo: AFP
North Korea

North Korea tests electromagnetic weapon and carbon fibre bomb: state media

Such weapons use electromagnetic energy rather than explosives to disrupt or damage targets, especially electronics infrastructure.

videocam
France

French detainees back in Paris after ‘terrible ordeal’ in Iran

The pair had been under house arrest at the French embassy in Tehran ever since being freed from more than three years in prison in November.

videocam
North Korea

North Korea launches fifth missile test after dousing South’s peace hopes

A top Pyongyang official says the designation of the South as a hostile state ‘can never change with any words or conduct’.

videocam
People watch a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at a train station in Seoul on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran allows 2 French former detainees to leave country

The green light for them to leave Iran, long sought by France, signalled how Iran is differentiating between nations amid the Iran war.

Portraits of Cecile Kohler (left) and her partner Jacques Paris along with a placard reading “Freedom for Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris arbitrarily detained in Iran for over two years in appalling conditions” outside the Palais Bourbon, France’s National Assembly in 2025. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

What is US telling Pacific allies by moving missiles to use in the Iran war?

Deploying US missiles to the Middle East ‘reinforces Beijing’s assessment that time and industrial scale favour China’, analyst says.

videocam
15
Technology

Opinion | In Asia-Pacific, the real maritime contest is over satellite surveillance

States’ ability to exercise territorial rights is increasingly mediated by their access to satellite data and analytics, but the tech is dominated by a powerful few.

videocam
Taiwan

How lessons from Iran war could shape mainland China’s Taiwan calculus

US strengths and strains offer Beijing a playbook, but key differences limit how far the conflict can guide future military strategy.

videocam
25
Illustration: Henry Wong
Nato

Opinion | In denying Trump airspace, Europe has drawn a line for Nato

Growing European defiance to US demands raises a critical question: is Nato a club of equals or a mechanism for enforcing one nation’s agenda?

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
South Korea

‘Irresponsible and reckless’: South Korea’s Lee regrets drones sent to North

The South Korean president said an investigation revealed that government officials were involved in the incursion earlier this year.

videocam
Global South

Opinion | Global South nations are insulating themselves from the heat of US actions

The ‘Great Insulation’ is coming – not major powers decoupling top-down but small and middle powers building a firewall from the bottom up.

videocam
4
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Ukraine war

Zelensky fears Ukraine may get less US support to fight Russia due to Iran war

Zelensky has offered to share Ukraine’s battlefield expertise with the US and allies to develop countermeasures against Iranian attacks.

videocam
Ukrainian experts work at the site of a Russian drone strike on a residential area in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Friday. Photo: EPA
Crime

Bomb allegedly left at US base by Alen Zheng was built inside 2 Pepsi bottles

The revelation of the bomb’s make-up comes amid questions of how it sat outside the military installation for six days without being found.

US, Israel war on Iran

US commits nearly all of stealthy long-range missiles to Iran war

JASSM-ER cruise missiles are to be pulled from Pacific stockpiles, reducing supplies of systems meant for more capable foes like China.

videocam
33
South Korea

South Korea and Indonesia’s fighter jet is ready. But will it sell?

Only a handful of nations have ever built a supersonic fighter jet from the ground up.

The first mass-produced KF-21 fighter jet is unveiled during a ceremony at the headquarters of Korea Aerospace Industries in Sacheon on March 25. Photo: Yonhap/EPA
South Korea

Softly, softly: why South Korea, France prefer diplomacy over force in Hormuz

Presidents Lee and Macron have agreed to cooperate on safety in the strait but they are likely to wade in only after the war, analysts say.

videocam
4
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (right) toasts with Emmanuel Macron during a luncheon for the French leader at the presidential office in Seoul on Friday. Photo: Yonhap/dpa
US, Israel war on Iran

Trump seeks US$1.5 trillion for defence in new budget request amid Iran war

If enacted, it would set military spending at its highest level in modern history, underscoring the US’ ongoing focus on defence investment.

videocam
21
US, Israel war on Iran

What 2 downed jets mean for US vulnerability in the Iran war

US launches rescue mission after F-15E downing; one crew member found, another missing in first such combat loss since war began.

videocam
141
Diplomacy

Opinion | How America’s stumble in Iran upends East Asia’s security calculus

A region where US allies lose faith in Washington won’t necessarily embrace Beijing; it is a region more likely to reach for its own guns.

videocam
Illustration: Craig Stephens
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran says shot down F-35 fighter jet with new defence system

IRGC claims ‘complete destruction’ of the advanced jet occurred over central Iran, and it is unlikely the pilot survived.

4
A US F-35C Lightning II landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln on March 7. Photo: US Navy via Reuters
Japan

US delays Japan’s Tomahawk missile supplies as Iran strikes take priority

The missiles are key to boosting Tokyo’s long-range strike capabilities to deal with challenges from China and North Korea.

videocam
United States

Hegseth ousts army’s top uniformed officer, even as US wages war on Iran

Chief of Staff Randy George has been asked to take early retirement, in the latest of over a dozen firings of top generals and admirals.

videocam
22
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement