military

The U.S. considered sending in Special Forces to retrieve a downed drone in Iran, reports suggest.

Will North Korea ever abandon its nuclear program? And who is it helping acquire weapons? The Diplomat speaks with leading North Korea analyst Mark Fitzpatrick.

China’s new carrier should come as no shock. It’s part of the natural evolution of China’s naval capabilities.

China’s new carrier should come as no shock. It’s part of the natural evolution of China’s naval capabilities.

A controversial video showing the torture of two Papuans is an embarrassment for the military and the government.

The government announces a surprisingly small hike in defence spending for the coming year.

There’s a noticeable difference between PLA officers’ rhetoric and the govt’s.

Described by many as the worst crisis in decades in Japan-US relations, the controversy surrounding the relocation of the US Futenma air base in Okinawa has left Japan’s Prime Minister with the choice of defying its most important ally or breaking a key election pledge. But as David McNeill reports, whatever the outcome, the debate has reinforced Okinawans’ disillusionment with power politics and government promises.

Don’t reflexively fear China’s growing naval prowess–there’s plenty of good it could end up doing, David Axe says.

Though India may not be alone in preventing women from serving on the frontline, its armed services’ record on equality is still woeful, reports Shreyasi Singh. And it’s attitudes, not ability, that seem to be proving the biggest obstacle of all to change.

The United States and Pakistan were in an alliance of mutual convenience for much of the Cold War (although at odds for part of it) and have since been in a relationship of almost complete expediency.

Pakistan’s military claims it is in control as it battles militants in South Waziristan. But a media blackout and a string of suicide bombings has raised questions about how decisive the offensive has really been, Ghulam Ghaus reports.

The publication last month of a monograph which dramatically overturns longstanding assumptions about the defense of Taiwan should make sobering reading for US policymakers.

The 20th anniversary earlier this month of the Tiananmen tragedy has given China-watchers an opportunity to take stock of their analyses over the past two decades. And, given the recent media and policy attention lavished on China’s maritime ambitions, it is worth looking back at Western studies of the Chinese navy and its impressive advances in recent years.

However, a closer look at many of those predictions shows, at best, a patchy record of success – and, at worst, some worrying analytical shortcomings.

Last month was the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). At the naval parade held to commemorate the event, in front of delegations from 29 countries, PLAN Commander General Wu Shengli declared that Beijing intended to build aircraft carriers, spurring widespread speculation over China’s blue-water ambitions.