U.S. Military

The Pentagon’s Joint Operational Access Concept breathes new life into discussion of Anti-Access/Area Denial.

The U.S. Navy had hoped to grow its fleet from 285 to 313 vessels. Is it planning to drop that approach?

Plans to establish a Taliban political liaison office in Qatar suggest peace talks may finally make progress. But are the Taliban really ready to stop fighting?

The U.S. pivot toward the Asia-Pacific has been much commented on. But is it good for U.S. interests?

The U.S. pivot toward the Asia-Pacific has been much commented on. But is it good for U.S. interests?

Iran would likely be a far more formidable adversary than any the United States has faced in decades. The U.S. should be very wary about launching military strikes.

Iran’s military could probably make life uncomfortable for the U.S. in the Strait of Hormuz. But the downsides far outweigh the advantages of trying.

Updated figures suggest that the Chinese air force is shrinking. It’s building smaller numbers of newer jets.

Access to a downed U.S. stealth drone would offer plenty of scope for China to reverse engineer key technologies. Will Iran give it the chance?

Will China’s rise push the U.S., India and Japan into an alliance? Military interoperability problems are a barrier.

The passing of Kim Jong-il could give the U.S. the excuse it needs to bolster its Pacific presence – without China objecting.

China’s rise is only the most remarkable of the many extraordinary stories of Asia’s emergence, says Jason Miks in the first in a special series of essays on the Asia-Pacific’s future.