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Defence

Defence
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Defence. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
French President Emmanuel Macron greets Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris after three and a half years in detention, next to French ambassador to Iran Pierre Cochard at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
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.

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North Korea

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

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US, Israel war on Iran

Iran allows 2 French former detainees to leave country

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.

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According to US media reports, the Pentagon has ordered nearly all its JASSM-ER air-launched cruise missiles to be moved from the Pacific to boost its efforts in the war against Iran. Photo: Handout
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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Drivers pass through a security checkpoint at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, in March. Photo: TNS
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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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US President Donald Trump announces the US Navy’s “Golden Fleet” battleship programme at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2025. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Japan

Why Japan’s advanced fighter project may get Canadian tailwinds

With Ottawa’s interest in the stealth fighter, Tokyo hopes the multinational project for its air force’s modernisation can regain momentum.

A concept design of the Global Combat Air Programme sixth-generation fighter jet displayed at the 2024 Farnborough International Air Show. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Russia says it has taken full control of Ukraine’s Luhansk region

A small sliver of land in the area has remained beyond Moscow’s reach since 2022, and Kyiv denies that the situation has changed.

Russian soldiers fire a grenade launcher towards Ukrainian positions in an image released on Tuesday. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP
Taiwan

Opinion | What the Iran war reveals about Nato’s appetite for conflict over Taiwan

Resistance to a war started without European consent makes clear the alliance’s limits. The US can’t count on Nato support for a war in Asia.

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Pakistan

What Pakistan gains by playing peacemaker in Iran war

If Islamabad can successfully carry off the talks, it stands a chance of bringing in much-needed investments and weapon sales, analysts say.

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Japan

Businesses, smokers burnt by Japan’s record US$8 billion defence budget

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

A launcher for an upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile is displayed at the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Kyodo
The Philippines

Philippines to rename disputed South China Sea islands

The features to be renamed belong to the Spratly archipelago, site of repeated confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels.

A screen capture of a video of the Philippines setting up at monitoring station on Thitu Island, which is part of the contested Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. Image: SCMP
Japan

Japan deploys long-range missiles to bases amid China tensions, irking locals

The shifting defence policy drew backlash from Kumamoto residents fearing for their safety.

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Japan

What Macron’s Tokyo visit means for an anxious Japan and its ties with France

Japan is enlisting French support amid a global energy shock and a diplomatic rupture with Beijing.

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