https://www.scmp.com/rss/522000/feed The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.. As a governmental body, it serves as the central hub for U.S. military and defence operations, overseeing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and, for some purposes, the Coast Guard. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington,... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Washington is pulling most long-range cruise missiles from the Pacific for redeployment to the Middle East amid its war on Iran – a move analysts say signals possible supply constraints and tells Indo-Pacific “friends and foes alike” that US priorities lie elsewhere. According to US media reports, the Pentagon ordered nearly the entire inventory of its JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles to be moved from the Pacific, and even from the continental United States, to US Central Command bases in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349263/what-us-telling-its-pacific-allies-removing-missiles-use-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349263/what-us-telling-its-pacific-allies-removing-missiles-use-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:20:23 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,William Zheng Seong Hyeon Choi,William Zheng The rescue of a missing American crew member after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet is proof of the United States’ “comprehensive capability” to mount high-risk rescue operations, according to Chinese analysts. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the missing crew member – one of two on the fighter jet shot down over southern Iran on Friday – had been rescued. It was the first manned US aircraft shot down over Iran since the US-Israel war on the country began on February... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349170/while-trump-hails-daring-airman-rescue-iran-chinese-experts-count-us-wins-and-losses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3349170/while-trump-hails-daring-airman-rescue-iran-chinese-experts-count-us-wins-and-losses?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 10:13:31 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Samira Muhammadi hopes an international investigation can “extinguish” her pain after a Pakistani bombing killed her son and hundreds of other Afghans in the capital Kabul last month. The March 16 attack hit a drug treatment centre and killed 411 people, according to Afghan officials. A United Nations source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they had verified at least 250 killed, with more still missing. “There should be investigations on this … Like me, many mothers lost their sons,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3349110/pakistani-strike-killed-her-son-rehab-now-afghan-mother-demands-answers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 01:14:50 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang US President Donald Trump is seeking congressional approval for US$1.5 trillion in defence spending in his new budget proposal, underscoring his administration’s focus on military investment as the country remains engaged in conflict in the Middle East. The blueprint released by the White House on Friday for the financial year 2027 proposes a 44 per cent increase in the US defence budget – implementing the widely controversial plan first unveiled by Trump in a January social media post. If... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349007/trump-administration-seeks-us15-trillion-defence-new-budget-request?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3349007/trump-administration-seeks-us15-trillion-defence-new-budget-request?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:26:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon said on Thursday without giving a reason for the departure as the United States wages a war against Iran. General Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately”, said Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023 under the Biden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348861/hegseth-ousts-armys-top-uniformed-officer-even-us-wages-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348861/hegseth-ousts-armys-top-uniformed-officer-even-us-wages-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:23:47 +0000 Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan Mark Magnier,Khushboo Razdan After avoiding much of the churn, firings and senior official turnover that marked his first term, US President Donald Trump on Thursday added to the string of high-profile departures in recent days, as bad news heaped more pressure on the White House. The administration announced that US Attorney General Pam Bondi was leaving to be replaced by her deputy, Todd Blanche, in an acting capacity. “We love Pam,” Trump wrote on social media. “She will be transitioning to a much-needed and important... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348858/trump-fires-pam-bondi-us-attorney-general-amid-epstein-files-furore?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:20:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The Pentagon has flouted a court order blocking it from enforcing a policy limiting news reporters’ access to the Defence Department’s headquarters, a lawyer for The New York Times asserted on Monday in urging a federal judge to compel the government’s compliance with the 10-day-old order. US District Judge Paul Friedman did not immediately rule from the bench after hearing a second round of arguments from lawyers for the newspaper and the Trump administration. The New York Times claims Pentagon... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348453/new-york-times-accuses-pentagon-flouting-judges-order-blocking-its-press-access-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348453/new-york-times-accuses-pentagon-flouting-judges-order-blocking-its-press-access-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:59:51 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Even as Donald Trump pushes for talks to end the war against Iran, the US has ordered thousands of troops to the region, fuelling fears that the American president is gearing up for exactly the sort of risky ground invasion that he once campaigned against. Trump on Thursday warned Iran to “get serious soon” in talks to end the war, as he once again criticised Nato allies for not joining in the conflict. Trump insisted Iran was actively talking with the United States on a deal to end the nearly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347971/trump-pushes-talks-us-troop-moves-signal-potential-iran-war-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347971/trump-pushes-talks-us-troop-moves-signal-potential-iran-war-escalation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:12:19 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press An Iranian military spokesperson mocked US attempts at a ceasefire deal on Wednesday, raising questions about whether a 15-point plan proposed by Washington has a chance to succeed. The comments from Lieutenant Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which jointly commands Iran’s regular military and paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, came after the plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries. US President Donald Trump has said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347813/iranian-military-mocks-trumps-claim-talks-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347813/iranian-military-mocks-trumps-claim-talks-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Mar 2026 05:46:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran targeted countries across the Middle East with a fresh volley of missiles on Wednesday, hours after US President Donald Trump signalled tentative progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war. Tehran said on Wednesday it fired a volley of cruise missiles at a US aircraft carrier. Iran’s military said its cruise missiles at the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group had “forced it to change its position”, warning of “powerful strikes” when the “hostile fleet” comes into range. The conflict that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347776/israeli-military-warns-inbound-missiles-iran-says-anti-missile-defences-active?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347776/israeli-military-warns-inbound-missiles-iran-says-anti-missile-defences-active?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 23:42:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse How long will the Iran war last and what are the US goals? President Donald Trump has issued a dizzying number of conflicting answers to these questions since launching the conflict three weeks ago. The stakes have risen as Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes across the Gulf after the United States and Israel started their attacks on February 28. Here, in Trump’s own words, are his shifting positions: Duration of the war March 1: “Well, we intended four to five weeks.” (To The New... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347664/tracking-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-iran-war-his-own-words?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3347664/tracking-trumps-ever-shifting-positions-iran-war-his-own-words?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 04:17:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US federal judge on Friday ruled as unconstitutional a Pentagon press access policy that withdrew accreditations from a host of prominent media organisations. Elements of the policy are “unlawful because they violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the United States Constitution”, a judge in Washington said in response to a lawsuit brought by The New York Times. US media and a host of international news outlets including Agence France-Presse, Associated Press and Fox News declined to sign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347398/us-judge-rules-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-unconstitutional?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347398/us-judge-rules-restrictive-pentagon-press-access-unconstitutional?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:09:02 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang Iran’s missile and drone stockpiles will last another two or three months as US-Israeli strikes continue, while the US military is also depleting its interceptors, Chinese analysts have noted. However, how long the war lasts would depend less on stockpiles alone than on the effectiveness of new US deployments and President Donald Trump’s political calculus, one of them cautioned. Iran has continued its attacks on Israel and on US assets across the Middle East since the conflict was triggered on... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347212/how-long-will-us-israel-war-iran-last-chinese-analysts-offer-clues?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347212/how-long-will-us-israel-war-iran-last-chinese-analysts-offer-clues?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Agencies Agencies US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday there was no “time frame” for ending the US-Israeli war against Iran, which was launched three weeks ago. “We wouldn’t want to set a definitive time frame,” Hegseth told a news conference, adding that “we’re very much on track” and that President Donald Trump would be the one to decide when to stop. “It will be at the president’s choosing, ultimately, where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve achieved what we need to.’” American objectives in the war had not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347215/us-has-no-end-date-iran-war-strikes-very-much-track-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3347215/us-has-no-end-date-iran-war-strikes-very-much-track-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:52:48 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Beijing is unlikely to attack Taiwan next year, given security and economic deterrents, including its belief that an amphibious assault could fail and that the technological, supply chain and investor costs would be huge, according to a US threat assessment released on Wednesday. The intelligence overview appeared to walk back a projection by the Pentagon last year that Beijing wanted to take the self-governing island by force as early as 2027 and comes as US President Donald Trump takes a more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347083/us-assesses-mainland-china-not-planning-attack-taiwan-2027?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347083/us-assesses-mainland-china-not-planning-attack-taiwan-2027?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:12:46 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Outdated intelligence likely led to the United States carrying out a deadly missile strike on a junior school in Iran that killed over 165 people, many of them children, in the opening hours of the conflict, according to a US official and a second person briefed on findings of a preliminary US military investigation into the incident. The bombing of the school and its casualties involving children has become a focal point of the war, and if ultimately confirmed to be at the hands of the US,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346300/outdated-intelligence-us-faces-mounting-evidence-deadly-strike-iran-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3346300/outdated-intelligence-us-faces-mounting-evidence-deadly-strike-iran-school?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2026 03:52:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Anthropic on Monday filed a lawsuit to block the Pentagon from placing it on a national security blacklist, escalating the artificial intelligence lab’s high-stakes battle with the US military over usage restrictions on its technology. Anthropic said in its lawsuit that the designation was unlawful and violated its free speech and due process rights. The filing in federal court in California asked a judge to undo the designation and block federal ‌agencies from enforcing it. “These actions are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346019/anthropic-sues-us-government-row-over-ai-use-military-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3346019/anthropic-sues-us-government-row-over-ai-use-military-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Mar 2026 16:36:30 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected a newly built destroyer and oversaw a test launch of what state media called a “strategic cruise missile” this week, casting the navy’s build-up as a key part of Pyongyang’s evolving nuclear deterrent, analysts said. The two-day inspection of the 5,000-tonne destroyer Choe Hyon came as North Korea was closely watching recent US military strikes on Iran and ahead of US-South Korea joint exercises set to begin on March 9. Kim hailed the warship as a “new... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345526/kim-tests-missile-new-destroyer-north-korea-draws-lessons-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345526/kim-tests-missile-new-destroyer-north-korea-draws-lessons-iran-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 05:56:25 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Iranian warship IRIS Dena was in the Indian Ocean when a Los Angeles-class US attack submarine fired an MK-48 torpedo, setting off a massive explosion that lifted the ship’s stern out of the water before sinking the vessel. The US Defence Department highlighted the attack – releasing black-and-white video footage that showed the USS Charlotte’s strike – to draw attention to a key element of its campaign against Iran: eliminating the country’s navy to keep the country from impeding the flow... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345499/irans-navy-crosshairs-warship-sinking-us-submarine-ups-game?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3345499/irans-navy-crosshairs-warship-sinking-us-submarine-ups-game?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Mar 2026 02:46:08 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin Xinmei Shen,Lucy Quaggin A bipartisan resolution that would block US President Donald Trump from launching further strikes on Iran failed to pass the Senate floor on Wednesday, as the Pentagon pledged to “accelerate” its actions in a war that’s “just getting started”. In a 52-47 procedural vote on Wednesday, the Republican-controlled Senate blocked a war powers resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s ability to escalate military action against Iran, preventing the measure from reaching the floor for debate. The resolution... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3345487/us-senate-rejects-bid-curb-trumps-iran-war-powers-pentagon-set-increase-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:42:10 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang Seong Hyeon Choi,Yuanyue Dang The US and Israel’s air strikes against Iran, supported by electronic and cyber capabilities, serve as a “wake-up call” for China’s intelligence strategy and its military’s approach to deploying advanced technologies in modern warfare, analysts say. In weekend air strikes against Iran that killed its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the US struck over 1,000 targets with an array of advanced weaponry, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, stealth fighters and bombers. And for the first time... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345123/iran-attack-seen-wake-call-chinas-electronic-warfare-and-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3345123/iran-attack-seen-wake-call-chinas-electronic-warfare-and-intelligence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:42:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Donald Trump told the US government on Friday to “immediately” stop using Anthropic’s technology after the AI start-up rejected the Pentagon’s demand that it agree to unconditional military use of its Claude models. Anthropic insists its technology should not be used for the mass surveillance of US citizens or deployed in fully autonomous weapons systems, while the Pentagon says it operates within the law and that contracted suppliers cannot set terms on how their products are... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344946/trump-tells-us-government-immediately-stop-using-anthropic-ai-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344946/trump-tells-us-government-immediately-stop-using-anthropic-ai-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 22:19:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US military shot down a government drone with a laser-based anti-drone system, an accident that prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to bar flights on Thursday in an area around Fort Hancock, Texas, congressional aides told Reuters. Congressional aides told Reuters the Pentagon used the high-energy laser system to shoot down a Customs and Border Protection drone near the Mexican border, in an area ‌that often has incursions from Mexican drones used by drug cartels. The Pentagon,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344810/us-military-laser-shoots-down-government-drone-texas-incident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344810/us-military-laser-shoots-down-government-drone-texas-incident?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Feb 2026 03:36:29 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Pentagon plans to spend an additional US$12.6 billion to improve surveillance of China’s military manoeuvres, submarines and satellites as the US tries to counter the “unprecedented Chinese military build-up” in Asia, according to a budget document sent to Congress. The funds, approved by Congress outside the normal budget process, are designed to improve US military readiness, offensive cyber capabilities and surveillance efforts across the Indo-Pacific. It will also help expand operations... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344653/pentagon-spends-us12-billion-surveillance-counter-chinas-military-build-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3344653/pentagon-spends-us12-billion-surveillance-counter-chinas-military-build-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 18:05:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US military forces boarded another sanctioned tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the vessel from the Caribbean Sea in an effort to target illicit oil connected to Venezuela, the Pentagon said on Sunday. Venezuela had faced US sanctions on its oil for several years, relying on a shadow fleet of falsely flagged tankers to smuggle crude into global supply chains. US President Donald Trump ordered a quarantine of sanctioned tankers in December to pressure then-President Nicolas Maduro before... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343657/us-military-boards-another-oil-tanker-indian-ocean-after-tracking-it-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343657/us-military-boards-another-oil-tanker-indian-ocean-after-tracking-it-caribbean?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 22:46:54 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Chinese military activities – and the need to respond to them – were framed as a major driver of cooperation between US allies in the Indo-Pacific and Europe during this year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC). It comes as Washington pushes its allies to spend more on their own defence and in the collective defence of the “first island chain” to deter potential war with China. Speaking at the conference on Saturday, Elbridge Colby, US undersecretary of defence for policy, said that while... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343636/munich-us-urges-collective-strength-among-allies-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343636/munich-us-urges-collective-strength-among-allies-deter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 22:00:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Australia unveiled AU$3.9 billion (US$2.8 billion) in spending on Sunday as a “down payment” on a new facility to build nuclear submarines under the tripartite Aukus security pact with Britain and the United States. The Aukus pact aims to arm Australia with a fleet of cutting-edge submarines from the United States and would provide for cooperation in developing an array of warfare technologies. The submarines, the sale of which will begin in 2032, lie at the heart of Australia’s strategy of... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343637/australia-unveils-billions-new-nuclear-submarines-under-aukus-security-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3343637/australia-unveils-billions-new-nuclear-submarines-under-aukus-security-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Feb 2026 12:12:22 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Federal prosecutors failed to bring charges Tuesday against six Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to refuse illegal orders, outraging US President Donald Trump, who had called for jail time, US media reported. A federal grand jury composed of local citizens in Washington denied the Justice Department’s attempts to indict the lawmakers who posted a short video urging conscientious service, sources told The New York Times and The Washington Post. In the video posted to social media in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343148/us-grand-jury-rejects-charges-against-6-democrat-lawmakers-trump-wanted-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3343148/us-grand-jury-rejects-charges-against-6-democrat-lawmakers-trump-wanted-jailed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 04:30:38 +0000 Associated Press,Reuters Associated Press,Reuters The Pentagon is cutting ties with Harvard University, ending all military training, fellowships and certificate programmes with the Ivy League institution. Friday’s announcement marks the latest development in the Trump administration’s prolonged stand-off with Harvard over the White House’s demands for reforms at the Ivy League school. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement on Friday that Harvard “no longer meets the needs of the War Department or the military services”. “For too... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342747/pentagon-ditches-harvard-hegseth-declares-university-too-woke?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3342747/pentagon-ditches-harvard-hegseth-declares-university-too-woke?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 04:23:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US military said on Thursday that it carried out another deadly strike on a vessel accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean. US Southern Command said on social media that the boat “was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations”. It said the strike killed two people. A video linked to the post showed a boat moving through the water before exploding in flames. The strike was announced just hours after... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342605/us-destroys-another-alleged-drug-trafficking-boat-pacific-killing-2?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3342605/us-destroys-another-alleged-drug-trafficking-boat-pacific-killing-2?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 04:39:39 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin US President Donald Trump wants to build his “Dream Military”. In January, he proposed setting military spending at US$1.5 trillion in 2027 while citing “very troubled and dangerous times”. The move would increase the country’s defence budget by around 50 per cent amid growing concern at the Pentagon about China’s AI advancements. As the United States and China race to develop the latest artificial intelligence, the use of AI technology in the military has become a battleground in its own right,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3342412/us-and-china-defence-sectors-emerge-key-battlegrounds-race-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3342412/us-and-china-defence-sectors-emerge-key-battlegrounds-race-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:00:42 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han The US is poised to avoid a major shutdown after senators agreed on Friday to separate a controversial bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from a package that also includes funding for the State Department and the Pentagon. On Friday, the Senate voted 71-29 to advance the package. The House, which is out of session this week, will still need to approve the package before it can be signed into law, meaning that there will be at least a brief funding lapse after the current... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341911/us-likely-averts-major-government-shutdown-splitting-bill-partial-closure-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3341911/us-likely-averts-major-government-shutdown-splitting-bill-partial-closure-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 22:50:24 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Three news items caught my eye over the past few days. The European Union is finally ready to totally ban the import of Russian natural gas. (You mean they have still been buying Russian gas?) The new National Defence Strategy put out by the Pentagon says the United States will de-prioritise Europe – which must address its own regional security needs – and focus on deterring China. And former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder wrote a piece in a newspaper that ended up drawing a lot of flak for... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341636/when-doubt-eu-leaders-dig-even-bigger-hole?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3341636/when-doubt-eu-leaders-dig-even-bigger-hole?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US aircraft carrier and supporting warships have arrived ‍in the Middle East, two US officials told Reuters on Monday, expanding US President Donald Trump’s capabilities to defend US forces, or potentially take military action against Iran. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers have crossed ⁠into the Middle East region, which comes under the US military’s Central Command, the officials told Reuters. Trump said on Thursday the United States had an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341308/amid-us-iran-tensions-us-aircraft-carrier-enters-middle-east-region-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3341308/amid-us-iran-tensions-us-aircraft-carrier-enters-middle-east-region-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 17:24:59 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi China’s new dry dock near the South China Sea could help it avoid having an aircraft carrier “gap” in the disputed waterway and pave the way for military outreach to the Indian Ocean, analysts said. According to a report by American geospatial intelligence company AllSource Analysis, satellite imagery on January 21 showed the first use of a new dry dock at Yulin Naval Base in the southern Chinese province of Hainan, for the likely maintenance of PLA Navy aircraft carriers. The report said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341270/shandongs-use-plas-newest-dry-dock-near-south-china-sea-suggests-carrier-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3341270/shandongs-use-plas-newest-dry-dock-near-south-china-sea-suggests-carrier-milestone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 10:36:10 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei The People’s Liberation Army has released fresh details of its tests of AI-enabled drone swarm warfare, saying a single soldier can control a swarm of more than 200 drones. In a defence news programme aired on Tuesday, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV released details of a drone swarm test conducted by the PLA-affiliated National University of Defence Technology. Drone swarm warfare relies on artificial intelligence and data links to launch hundreds of drones in a short time. These drones could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340972/1-soldier-200-drones-china-showcases-rapid-launch-and-agility-swarm-warfare-tactics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340972/1-soldier-200-drones-china-showcases-rapid-launch-and-agility-swarm-warfare-tactics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:00:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters The ‌Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government’s deportation drive, two US officials told ‍Reuters on Sunday. The US Army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in the midwestern state escalates, the officials said, though it is not clear whether any of them will be sent. US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to use the Insurrection Act to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340355/pentagon-readies-1500-troops-potential-minnesota-deployment-us-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340355/pentagon-readies-1500-troops-potential-minnesota-deployment-us-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 22:26:08 +0000 Bochen Han Bochen Han A US spending bill approving US$300 million in cash assistance for Taiwan’s military has passed the House of Representatives and is expected to become law. On Wednesday, the House passed a two-bill government spending package that would fund the Departments of the Treasury and State through September, along with other federal agencies, bringing the total to eight of 12 annual spending bills needed by January 30, to avoid a government shutdown. The bills must now clear the Senate before they can... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340074/us-bill-approving-us300-million-taiwans-military-passed-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3340074/us-bill-approving-us300-million-taiwans-military-passed-house?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:09:56 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A bipartisan group of lawmakers has proposed creating a new agency with US$2.5 billion to spur production of rare earths and the other critical minerals, while the Trump administration has already taken aggressive actions to break China’s grip on the market for these materials that are crucial to hi-tech products, including mobile phones, electric vehicles, jet fighters and missiles. It is too early to tell how the bill, if passed, could align with the White House’s policy but whatever the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340072/us-lawmakers-propose-us25-billion-agency-boost-production-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3340072/us-lawmakers-propose-us25-billion-agency-boost-production-rare-earths?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:15:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter’s home on Wednesday as part of an investigation into sharing secret government information, officials said, ‍in a move that press advocates said threatened journalistic freedom. The reporter, Hannah Natanson, has covered US President Donald Trump’s campaign to fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers and shift remaining workers to implementing his agenda. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents had executed the search at the request... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339930/fbi-raids-home-us-journalist-who-reported-trump-firings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339930/fbi-raids-home-us-journalist-who-reported-trump-firings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 18:27:57 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi America’s top defence official declared that the US must achieve unquestioned AI “dominance” to prevent adversaries from gaining a technological edge, as he unveiled a strategy that includes integrating Elon Musk’s chatbot Grok. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s announcement did not mention China by name, but it came a month after a report to the US Congress in which the Pentagon warned of Beijing’s accelerating use of AI to reach its military modernisation goals. On Monday, Hegseth said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339743/us-moves-ai-dominance-outpace-china-new-overwhelming-military-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339743/us-moves-ai-dominance-outpace-china-new-overwhelming-military-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 09:14:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Senator Mark Kelly sued Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday, saying Pentagon ‌proceedings to demote the Arizona Democrat from his retired US Navy captain ‍rank violated Kelly’s free speech rights because he urged troops to reject unlawful orders. Kelly, also a former astronaut, said in his lawsuit in federal court in ⁠Washington that the Defence Department’s actions were retaliatory and violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment protection of free speech. The lawsuit asked the court... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339653/us-senator-mark-kelly-sues-pentagon-chief-pete-hegseth-over-demotion-threats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339653/us-senator-mark-kelly-sues-pentagon-chief-pete-hegseth-over-demotion-threats?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 21:39:27 +0000 Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen Liu Zhen,Zhao Ziwen The extreme precision of the US in its Venezuelan operation shows why nations must be able to execute a complex special surgical strike, according to analysts who said China had long pursued the capability but had yet to master it. In a complex joint endeavour integrating its air force, navy, intelligence agencies and space and cyber units, the US military’s elite Delta Force special mission unit completed its precision raid in Caracas – from infiltration to exfiltration – in less than three... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339503/could-china-execute-special-forces-operation-us-precision-maduro-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339503/could-china-execute-special-forces-operation-us-precision-maduro-abduction?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jan 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang Seong Hyeon Choi,Sylvie Zhuang US President Donald Trump’s proposal to boost next year’s military budget to US$1.5 trillion aims to blunt China’s global influence, a move analysts said could push Beijing to speed up its own military build-up with “greater urgency”. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that the US military budget for the 2027 financial year should be raised in the face of “very troubled and dangerous times”. “This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339229/trump-wants-us15-trillion-dream-military-will-china-boost-spending-response?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3339229/trump-wants-us15-trillion-dream-military-will-china-boost-spending-response?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 14:11:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed setting US military spending at US$1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times”. Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a US military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. US forces continue to mass in the Caribbean Sea. The 2026 military budget was set at US$901 billion. The United States was already... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339108/trump-calls-us15-trillion-military-spending-citing-dangerous-times?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3339108/trump-calls-us15-trillion-military-spending-citing-dangerous-times?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 23:52:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the wake of last weekend’s US military action in Venezuela, the US news media got something it has seldom heard from the Trump administration: a “thank you”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited news organisations that had learned in advance about last Saturday’s strike that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with not putting the mission in jeopardy by publicly reporting on it before it happened. Rubio’s acknowledgement was particularly noteworthy because US Defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338899/trump-team-praises-us-media-keeping-its-venezuela-raid-plan-secret?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338899/trump-team-praises-us-media-keeping-its-venezuela-raid-plan-secret?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 07:38:28 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi As the new year unfolds, China finds itself grappling with strategic pressures fuelled by two US treaty allies at its doorstep – Japan and South Korea. In the first of a two-part series, Seong Hyeon Choi looks at how historically fraught China-Japan ties might fare as Tokyo bolsters its military posture with record budgets and advanced weaponry. Read the second part here. China and Japan have never fully resolved the decades-old grudges of their wartime history and territorial disputes, but it... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338769/china-japan-military-tensions-what-lies-ahead-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338769/china-japan-military-tensions-what-lies-ahead-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 01:00:29 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth delivered a stark warning to China and Russia on Monday, declaring that the United States is rebuilding military dominance to a level so absolute that its enemies would “not dare” test it. Addressing shipyard workers and naval personnel at Newport News Shipbuilding, the nation’s largest military shipyard, Hegseth pointed to the recent US military operation in Venezuela as evidence of renewed American military readiness and the limits of non-American defence... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338836/china-russia-wont-dare-test-us-says-hegseth-after-show-military-might-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338836/china-russia-wont-dare-test-us-says-hegseth-after-show-military-might-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 23:43:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Monday ‌that he will demote Senator Mark Kelly from his rank ‍as a retired Navy captain for “reckless misconduct” after he and other Democratic lawmakers urged troops to refuse any illegal orders. Hegseth said Kelly will see a reduction in retirement pay and ⁠a letter of censure attached to his military record. He could face additional measures in the future depending on his actions, he warned in a post on social media. Although extraordinary, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338829/pentagon-cut-senator-mark-kellys-military-retirement-pay-over-misconduct-says-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3338829/pentagon-cut-senator-mark-kellys-military-retirement-pay-over-misconduct-says-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:07:28 +0000 Reuters Reuters At 4.21am on Saturday, US President Donald Trump sent a message on his Truth Social ‌platform: the United States had carried out a daring mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife. The action came as a surprise, but according to sources familiar with the matter, ‍planning for one of the most complex US operations in recent memory had been in the works for months and included detailed rehearsals. Elite US troops, including the US Army’s Delta Force, created an exact... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338645/inside-us-operation-venezuela-capture-president-nicolas-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338645/inside-us-operation-venezuela-capture-president-nicolas-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Jan 2026 00:54:10 +0000