A Republic of Korea Army soldier stands on a K21 tank on display at the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Exhibition (ADEX) in Seongnam, south of Seoul, on Oct 18, 2021. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP) SEONGNAM – The Republic of Korea should redouble its efforts to become a global defense industry leader, President Moon Jae-in […]
Japan's Maritime Self Defense Forces helicopter carrier Izumo sails out its Yokosuka Base in Kanagawa prefecture on May 1, 2017. (JIJI PRESS / AFP) TOKYO – The Liberal Democratic Party included a goal of spending 2 percent of GDP – about $100 billion – or more on the military for the first time in its […]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers his first policy speech during an extraordinary Diet session at the lower house of parliament in Tokyo, Japan, Oct 8, 2021. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / AP) TOKYO – Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will call for a sharp rise in defense spending in its election manifesto to be unveiled […]
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi on September 29, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG) Turkey and Russia discussed expanding defense cooperation from missiles to ships, warplanes and submarines, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, defying threatened US sanctions. Erdogan’s comments on potentially tighter defense ties with Russia could […]
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 21, 2021 at UN headquarters. (EDUARDO MUNOZ / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) WASHINGTON – President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey still intended to buy a second batch of S-400 missile defense systems from Russia, a move that could deepen a […]
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election candidate and former Japan's defense minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a debate ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership election, in Tokyo on Sept 12, 2020. (Charly TRIBALLEAU / POOL / AFP) TOKYO – Shigeru Ishiba, a heavyweight politician of Japan's ruling party, formally announced on Wednesday that he […]
This handout photo taken on Aug 13, 2021 and provided by the Republic of Korea (ROK)'s Defense Ministry on Sept 7, 2021 shows the locally-developed, diesel-powered 3,000-tonne Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine during its commissioning ceremony on the southern island of Geoje, ROK. (HANDOUT / SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) The Republic of Korea (ROK) […]
This handout picture taken and released on September 9, 2021 by the Indonesian Defense Ministry shows Indonesia's defense minister Prabowo Subianto (left) and Australia defence minister Peter Dutton (2nd left) inspecting honour guards before their 2+2 meeting with both country's foreign ministers in Jakarta. (HANDOUT / INDONESIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY / AFP) JAKARTA – Indonesia and […]
In this file photo dated July 28, 2021, Taro Kono, Japan's minister in charge of a vaccination campaign, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at his office in Tokyo. (EUGENE HOSHIKO / FILE / AP) TOKYO – Japanese COVID-19 vaccine minister Taro Kono's chances of becoming the next leader of the ruling party, […]
This handout photo taken on Aug 13, 2021 and provided by South Korea's Defense Ministry on Sept 7, 2021 shows the locally-developed, diesel-powered 3,000-tonne Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine during its commissioning ceremony on the southern island of Geoje, South Korea. (HANDOUT / SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) South Korea has successfully test-launched a missile […]
This combo photo shows the contenders who are likely to be in the race to succeed Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. From left, clockwise, are Taro Kono, administrative reform minister; Fumio Kishida, former foreign minister; Shigeru Ishiba, ex-defense minister; Shinzo Abe, former prime minister; LDP policy chief Hakubun Shimomura; Seiko Noda, ex-internal affairs minister; and […]
This handout photo taken on Sept 15, 2017 and provided by South Korean Defense Ministry in Seoul shows South Korea's missile system firing Hyunmu-2 missile into the East Sea from an undisclosed location on South Korea's east coast during a live-fire exercise. (STR / SOUTH KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTRY / AFP) SEOUL – South Korea is […]
Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces (JGSDF) soldiers take part in a live fire exercise at the JGSDF's training grounds in the East Fuji Manuever Area in Gotemba on May 22, 2021. (AKIO KON / POOL / AFP) TOKYO – Japan's defense ministry is seeking an annual budget increase that will add to past hikes to expand […]
Japan's Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi visits Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo, Japan, Aug 13, 2021. (NAOYA OSATO / KYODO NEWS VIA AP) TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi visited Yasukuni shrine on Friday, according to local media, paying his respects at the shrine for war dead that is seen by neighboring countries as a symbol […]
This handout photo from Malaysia's Department of Information taken and released on Nov 2, 2020 shows Malaysia's Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali (front right) and Minister of Defense Ismail Sabri Yaakob (front center) attending a parliament session in Kuala Lumpur. (FAMER ROHENI / MALAYSIA'S DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION / AFP) KUALA LUMPUR […]
Jordanian Prince Hamza bin al-Hussein (left), president of the Royal Aero Sports Club of Jordan, and his wife Princess Basma attend a media event to announce the launch of "Skydive Jordan" in the Wadi Rum desert on April 19, 2011. (KHALIL MAZRAAWI / AFP) AMMAN – A Jordanian military court on Thursday rejected a defense […]
In this March 5, 2018 photo, a man places an Israeli flag at the site where new caravans belonging to Israeli settler families are being set up near the settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank on the outskirts of Hebron. Israel has withdrawn from a race against Germany and Belgium for two […]
US Army mobile equipment sits in a field in Yeoncheon, the Republic of Korea, near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, on June 17, 2020. (AHN YOUNG-JOON / FILE / AP) SEOUL – The Republic of Korea approved plans on Monday to pursue a US$2.6-billion artillery interception system, similar to Israel's "Iron […]
In this photo taken on May 08, 2018, people arrive at the domestic terminal of the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. (PHOTO / AFP) WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreed earlier this week that Turkey would play a leading role in securing Kabul airport, but the […]
People light candles during a vigil in Habima Square in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on May 1, 2021, in the aftermath of a deadly stampede in a northern Jewish pilgrimage town. (JACK GUEZ / AFP) JERUSALEM – Israel's defense minister proposed on Thursday that the country's newly installed government launch an official […]