Advertisement
Advertisement
-
TOPIC

Defence

Defence
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Defence. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
An explosion erupts following strikes near Azadi Tower close to Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran on Saturday. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Israel hits Iran oil facility, as PM Netanyahu warns of ‘many surprises’

This appears to be the first time a civil industrial facility has been targeted in the war.

videocam
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran vows more attacks in Gulf despite president’s apology

videocam
5
US, Israel war on Iran

4 US bombers land in UK as Iran war continues

videocam
Ukraine war

At least 7 killed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv as Russia strikes apartment building

Moscow struck its neighbour overnight with 29 missiles and 480 drones, President Zelensky said, with hits at 22 locations.

videocam
Rescuers work at the site of a fatal missile strike on a residential building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Saturday. Photo: EPA
South Korea

Seoul’s missile shield vs Iranian barrage: the fight to protect UAE’s skies

Abu Dhabi wants faster Cheongung-II missile battery deliveries from Seoul amid 96 per cent interception success against Iranian attacks.

videocam
Australia

Australia complains to China after encounter between military helicopters

Australia says the Chinese aircraft made an ‘unsafe’ manoeuvre, while China called the statement ‘distortions of facts’.

videocam
17
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Sri Lanka

Video | Iranian sailors saved from sea after US torpedo strike

Sri Lanka’s president said ‘our approach is that every single life is as precious as our own’ after the naval rescue.

This handout photograph taken on March 4, 2026 and released by the Sri Lankan President’s Office on March 6, 2026 shows Sri Lankan navy personnel evacuating rescued Iranian sailors from the IRIS Dena frigate after a US submarine attack off Sri Lanka’s southern coast in Galle. Sri Lanka has offloaded crew of an Iranian navy vessel and assumed countrol of it, the South Asian nation’s president said March 5, a day after a deadly US submarine attack on another ship. (Photo by SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT’S OFFICE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO /SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT’S OFFICE/ HANDOUT / “ - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
Iran

How far could the war with Iran spread beyond the Middle East?

From Turkey and the Caucasus to South Asia, analysts warn the war could ignite new flashpoints along regional fault lines.

videocam
11
Arctic

Middle powers Canada, South Korea set Arctic course between China-Russia and US

Seoul’s security agreement with Ottawa is also a ‘hedge’ against a transactional Washington, an analyst says.

videocam
South Korea

South Korea uneasy as US weighs moving air defences to Middle East

Fears are growing in Seoul that shifting US Patriot and THAAD missiles to fight Iran could leave it vulnerable to North Korea.

videocam
US and South Korean soldiers take part in a joint river-crossing exercise as part of the Freedom Shield military drills in March 2025. Photo: Getty Images
Japan

Japan weighs military upgrade on Iwo Jima as China deepens Pacific activity

Tokyo is reportedly planning to enhance facilities and station aircraft on the island, and establish a Pacific defence initiative office.

videocam
The island of Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi in the foreground, is seen from a Japanese Air Self-Defence Force transport plane. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Can Japan build a ‘China-free’ military? The high price of defying a rival

Tokyo’s bid to boost ‘self-reliance’ may be costly and could take years given China’s dominance in critical materials, analysts say.

videocam
8
US, Israel war on Iran

Ukraine military drone experts ‘due in Gulf soon’

There is said to be interest in anti-drone warfare not only from the US but from private and public channels in Gulf nations too.

videocam
5
US, Israel war on Iran

Azerbaijan vows to respond after Iranian drones injure 4

Azerbaijan and Iran already have tense ⁠relations over Baku’s growing economic, energy and military ties to Turkey and Israel.

A school in Julfa following, what Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry says was a drone attack carried out by Iran, on its exclave of Nakhchivan. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

European states move to secure Red Sea navigation, protect Cyprus

Italy, ‌Spain, France and the Netherlands will send naval assets to protect Cyprus in the coming days.

videocam
A U-2 spy aircraft lands at the UK’s RAF Akrotiri airbase, near Limassol, Cyprus on Thursday. Photo: AP
US, Israel war on Iran

US submarine strike on Iranian warship near Sri Lanka rattles the region

Experts say the strike highlights the risk of the conflict spreading into Asian waters and tests India’s careful diplomatic balancing.

videocam
9
North Korea

Why North Korea’s missile tests from new warship has Iran conflict in mind

Experts say the US strikes on Iran are sharpening Pyongyang’s resolve to diversify nuclear-capable forces, including new naval platforms.

videocam
5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
US-China relations

Is the US in decline? After Iran strikes, maybe not, Chinese analysts say

The popular idea in China that American strength is waning may need a rethink, observers say.

videocam
176
The US retains formidable economic strength and possesses unparalleled military power globally, according to a leading Chinese political scientist. Photo: Handout
Israel-Iran conflict

Turkey says missile launched from Iran destroyed by Nato

A Turkish official said the missile had been ‘aimed at a base in Greek Cyprus but veered off course’.

War and conflict

Opinion | Pakistan’s forever war and the politics of exhaustion

What Pakistan needs is not war with Afghanistan but urgent efforts to fix its economy, security and divided society after disruptive decades.

videocam
Spain

Germany’s Merz lacked ‘solidarity’ amid silence during Trump attacks: Spain

The comments came after the US president said the Spanish government has been ‘terrible’ during the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno arrives for the Nato Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting at Nato headquarters in Brussels. Photo: Nato/dpa
The Philippines

Philippines arrests Filipino nationals suspected of spying for China

China has dismissed the espionage allegations as fabricated and politically motivated, accusing Manila of ‘stigmatisation’.

videocam
A screen grab from China’s CCTV news footage shows (from left) David Servañez, Albert Endencia and Nathalie Plizardo, the three Philippine nationals arrested on suspicion of spying in China. Photo: CCTV
Taiwan

What’s the one big thing missing from Beijing’s Taiwan deterrence strategy?

The country has military strength and political resolve but more work needs to be done on a third element, an NPC deputy says.

videocam
8
Israel-Iran conflict

US submarine sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, at least 80 dead

Sri Lanka said it had launched a search-and-rescue ⁠operation to locate survivors after ⁠receiving a distress call, with 32 people rescued.

videocam
North Korea

North Korea’s hostage strategy packs more bite in post-Iran US shake-up

The Pentagon wants Seoul to shoulder more of its defence burden. Analysts say it may have strengthened Kim Jong-un’s hand instead.

videocam
Troops march through Kim Il-Sung Square in Pyongyang for a military parade on February 25. Photo: KCNA/KNS/AFP
The Philippines

Duterte allies use Iran war threat to attack Philippines’ US ties

Social media posts claim US bases in the Philippines are like ‘bullseyes on Filipino soil’, prompting the military to debunk the disinformation.

videocam
A naval base in Cagayan province, the Philippines. The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, allows US forces rotational access to selected Philippine military bases. Photo: EPA-EFE
US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war: France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier heads to the Mediterranean

Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems and airborne radar systems have also been deployed in the Middle East.

videocam
US, Israel war on Iran

Gulf states take the fight to Iran as missiles target oil, gas and trade

The UAE, Qatar and others had a plan for staying out of a US-Iran war. It relied on the assumption that Iran would leave them out of it too.

videocam
15
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement