This is part of the 2024 Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN) for America’s Warfighting Navy, which Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti described as “overarching strategic guidance to make our Navy more ready.”

Project 33 aims to help in “prioritizing raising our level of readiness for potential conflict with the People’s Republic of China by 2027 while also enhancing the Navy’s long-term warfighting advantage.”

Project 33

The seven key areas start with readying the force by eliminating ship, submarine, and aircraft maintenance delays.

Next comes scaling robotic and autonomous systems “to integrate more platforms at speed,” as the US Navy created a new job focused on drones and robotics warfare in February this year and commissioned a new unit for unmanned operations in the Middle East in January.

The remaining key areas include creating command centers for success on a distributed battlefield, recruiting and retaining talented people, delivering quality service, investing in warfighter competency, and restoring critical infrastructure that sustains and projects the fight from shore. 

The NAVPLAN was released at the Naval War College on September 18.

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Wellington Koo, a strong advocate for building a multi-level deterrence capability, acknowledged on Wednesday that the country may not have enough time to respond to a “potential sudden contingency.”

He noted that the scale of Beijing’s military activities around Taiwan is getting larger, making it difficult to detect signs of an impending attack.

To address this, Koo said that Taipei needs to quickly “differentiate between peacetime and wartime” and develop the ability to respond to sudden attacks.

The Taiwanese military has already simulated a scenario in which China suddenly escalates one of its regular military drills into a full-scale invasion.

In the first three quarters of 2024, the Ministry of National Defense reported a record 2,076 “illegal” incursions by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Observe PLA Behavior

The largest PLA incursion occurred on July 9 when 66 Chinese military aircraft were detected inside Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.

Earlier this month, Beijing also conducted one of its largest amphibious landing drills on a coast opposite Taiwan, a move widely seen as a rehearsal for an invasion.

The Asian military superpower previously stated that its drills around Taiwan were meant to test its ability to seize power over the self-ruled island.

Koo suggested that the Taiwanese military needs to enhance its monitoring of PLA behavior to detect potential attacks and develop scenarios for its own exercises.

In July, the defense ministry pledged to conduct “unscripted” drills to develop capabilities for a swift response in real combat situations.

The post China’s Growing Military Activities Hinder Taiwan From Spotting Invasion: Minister appeared first on The Defense Post.

“This is the first time that an aircraft carrier belonging to the Chinese Navy has been confirmed to have sailed through the waters between Yonaguni and Iriomote,” the defense ministry’s joint staff said in a statement.

The Liaoning carrier and “two Luyang III-class missile destroyers” were seen sailing southwards between the islands in southern Okinawa region from Tuesday to Wednesday, it said.

Public broadcaster NHK and other media, citing unnamed defense sources, reported that it was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered Japan’s contiguous waters.

Contiguous waters are a 12-nautical-mile band that extends beyond territorial waters. The ministry was unable to immediately confirm these news reports.

Taipei’s government also said a Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning sailed through waters northeast of self-ruled Taiwan on Wednesday and continued towards Japan’s Yonaguni Island.

China’s growing economic and military clout in the Asia-Pacific region and its assertiveness in territorial disputes — most recently with the Philippines — has rattled the United States and its allies.

Tense incidents have involved Japanese and Chinese vessels in disputed areas, in particular the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea, known by Beijing as the Diaoyus.

Tokyo has reported the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels, a naval ship and a nuclear-powered submarine around the remote chain of islets.

Japan this month voiced “strong concern and protest” when a Chinese naval ship entered its territorial waters.

In August, the Japanese government slammed the first confirmed incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into its airspace as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

Japan is ramping up its defense spending with US encouragement, moving to acquire counter-strike capabilities and easing rules on arms exports.

Tokyo is also providing funding and equipment such as patrol vessels to other countries in the region.

In July, Japan agreed on a deal with the Philippines allowing troop deployments on each other’s soil.

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Known as AUKUS, the alliance aims to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific and enhance defense capabilities through technology sharing. The initial phase of the partnership involves working on nuclear submarines for Canberra.

According to Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair, Ottawa wants to join a second pillar of the alliance, which involves collaboration on emerging military technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

“There have been important discussions about processes and platforms on a project-specific basis on where other nations, including Japan and ourselves, might participate,” he said during his first visit to Tokyo as defense minister.

“I would respectfully wait until they’ve come to their determination, but I’m very optimistic.”

Expanded Alliance?

Talks about potentially expanding the AUKUS alliance began when Japan signified its intent to become a fourth member.

The founding nations have confirmed they were considering Tokyo’s involvement in “specific Pillar 2 defense projects,” given its substantial investments in cutting-edge military technologies.

South Korea and New Zealand have also shown interest in contributing to the second pillar, offering their expertise in areas such as AI, autonomy, undersea capabilities, electronic warfare, and cyber operations.

The US previously said it was open to allowing more countries to participate in AUKUS’ technological activities, noting its appreciation for the interest from various allies.

“I think all three countries have made clear that under the appropriate circumstances we would be prepared to work collaboratively with other partners who bring capacity to the challenge,” US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said.

Increasing Threats

China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific has led many countries to view it as the biggest threat in the region.

Its aggressive stance in the South China Sea, marked by multiple maritime confrontations with Philippine Navy vessels and its mounting pressure on Taiwan, has heightened regional tensions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping previously warned against a resurgence of Cold War-era tensions in the Asia-Pacific due to increasing military cooperation among its adversaries.

The post After Japan, Canada Wants In on AUKUS Alliance to Counter China appeared first on The Defense Post.

Around 2,000 experts and government representatives from over 90 countries attended the event.

In his opening address, South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun highlighted how AI use in military operations could strengthen capabilities but also bring potential harm if misused. 

Ukraine’s use of AI-enabled drones in the ongoing conflict with Russia was cited as an example.

The Blueprint

The REAIM Blueprint for Action outlined 20 clauses divided into three sections: the impact of AI on international peace and security; implementing responsible AI in the military domain; and envisaging future governance of AI in the military.

It acknowledged that “AI capabilities in the military domain must be applied in accordance with applicable national and international law.”

Further, the document highlighted that “appropriate human involvement needs to be maintained in the development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain, including appropriate measures that relate to human judgment and control over the use of force.”

Among the topics discussed were risk assessments, confidence-building measures, and preventing AI from being used in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, especially by terrorist groups.

China Opts Out, Russia Not Invited

South Korea, the US, Japan, France, Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Sweden, Pakistan, and Ukraine were among the 61 countries that endorsed the document.

China was one of 30 to opt out. 

Meanwhile, Russia was not invited for the second year in a row due to international condemnation of its Ukraine invasion.

“We also need to be realistic that we will never have the whole world on board,” Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said, adding that this dilemma must be part of further discussions.

This Seoul summit, co-hosted by the Netherlands, Singapore, Kenya, and the UK, follows the inaugural session at The Hague last year that initiated guidelines about AI use on the battlefield. 

This year’s summit’s declaration is said to be more action-oriented. “Last year … was more about creating shared understanding, now we are getting more towards action,” Brekelmans said.

South Korea aims to continue discussions based on the summit document in the upcoming UN General Assembly later this month.

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Washington and Beijing have verbally sparred over China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions, including the South China Sea.

In recent months, Chinese vessels have engaged in a series of high-profile confrontations with Philippine ships in the waters, which Beijing claims almost in their entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Speaking to a small group of journalists at the Xiangshan Forum, Chinese army Lieutenant General He Lei said: “We hope that the South China Sea will remain a sea of peace.”

But, he said, “if the United States moves its pawns behind the scenes, if it pushes countries to the front line, or if the United States itself ends up on the front line, then we in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army… will never have any patience.”

“We in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army will resolutely crush any foreign hostile encroachment on China’s territorial, sovereign and maritime rights and interests with firm determination, staunch will, strong capability and effective means,” He said.

On Wednesday, China and the Philippines held what they called “candid” talks on South China Sea issues, in particular over a disputed reef that has become a hotspot for recent bilateral clashes.

“Both sides agreed to continue discussions on areas of cooperation, especially on hotline mechanisms, coast guard cooperation, and marine scientific and technological cooperation,” a readout from the Philippine foreign ministry said.

‘Win-Win Cooperation’

And on Thursday, Lieutenant General He said a resolution to tensions between Beijing and Washington over the issue “depends on the United States.”

He also confirmed that US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Chase would attend this week’s Xiangshan forum in Beijing.

“I hope that during his visit, during his meetings here, Michael Chase will listen more to the voices of China and the Chinese military,” he said.

“The message we are sending to the United States is that we want the two countries and armies to be partners, to be friends, we want to pursue China-US relations featuring win-win cooperation,” he said.

“We want the United States to make more contributions to regional and world peace, security and stability,” he added.

Scores of delegates were in the Chinese capital Thursday for the Xiangshan forum, dubbed China’s answer to Singapore’s annual “Shangri-La” meeting.

It is set to host more than 500 representatives from over 90 countries and international organizations, organizers have said.

Official speeches are expected on Friday when the forum’s opening ceremony will take place, and top military representatives from Russia, Pakistan, Singapore, Iran, Germany, and others will participate in a roundtable discussion.

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Under the administration of new President Lai Ching-te, Taiwan revamped training for its armed forces to include more nighttime drills and exercises as the democratic island faces greater pressures from China, which claims it as part of its territory.

On Tuesday night, Captain Hsieh Pei-hsun was forced to eject from his single-seat Mirage 2000 fighter after it apparently lost power, the defense ministry said.

The jet crashed into the sea, while Hsieh was rescued about two hours later and transported to a hospital in central Taichung city.

The air force’s chief of staff said it had implemented a Tien An – or “safe skies” – inspection of its 60-plane Mirage-2000 fleet, which would mean grounding them.

“A special inspection will be carried out for the whole Mirage fleet,” Lieutenant General Wang Te-yang said during a news conference. “We also set up a task force immediately to investigate the incident.”

Despite the grounding, he said “there will be no pressure or impact on the air force’s combat capabilities in the short term.”

Taiwan’s Mirage-2000 fighters were purchased in 1992 from France in an arms deal that angered China.

They are still a core component of the island’s ageing fleet, which also includes F-16 fighter jets from the United States, and locally built Indigenous Defence Fighters.

Taiwan’s air force and military are up against increasing pressures from China, which has in recent years ramped up incursions by fighter jets and drones around the island – actions that military experts dub as grey-zone tactics that serve to exhaust the island’s armed forces.

In a 24-hour window ending 6:00 am Wednesday (2200 GMT Tuesday), 21 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and an official ship were detected around the island, Taiwan’s defense ministry said.

A subsequent statement said a further 19 Chinese fighter jets, patrol aircraft, and drones were tracked around Taiwan, and the defense ministry was monitoring the situation.

Lai visited Hsieh in hospital and said the pilot’s condition was stable.

“The people should also know that in order to protect the country, the armed forces not only stick to their posts but also train day and night,” the president told reporters after his visit.

“I ask the people to fully support the military and be the backing of the military. This way the military will have more strength to protect the country. Only by defending the country can we have a stable society,” he said.

Beijing, which regards Lai as a “dangerous separatist,” launched war games simulating a blockade around Taiwan three days after he was sworn in as president in May.

China has said it would never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

The post Taiwan Grounds Mirage Fighter Jets After Night Crash appeared first on The Defense Post.

In a major restructuring move, several key JMSDF units — including the Fleet Intelligence Command, Oceanography ASW Support Command, Guard Post, and Communications Command — will be merged into a single, unified entity focused on information warfare.

The new Fleet Information Warfare Command will then comprise two groups, Operational Intelligence and Cyber Defense. 

It will carry out a broad range of information warfare (IW) duties, such as enemy movement analysis, submarine sound signature analysis, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and C4ISR. 

This reorganization will enable Japan’s Navy “to strengthen response capabilities to information warfare, including in the cognitive domain, and to establish a system capable of rapid decision-making,” according to the country’s Ministry of Defense.  

Former JMSDF intelligence officer Kenji Yoshinaga revealed to Naval News that this new command was modeled after the US Fleet Cyber Command/US 10th Fleet.

Preparations have been underway since the JMSDF conducted the first-ever joint Japan-US IW training in 2021. The plan for the command’s establishment was stated in the approved Defense Buildup Program in December 2022.

In an additional reorganization, the JMSDF’s Fleet Escort Force and the Mine Warfare Force will be replaced by a new “Fleet Surface Force” by March 2026. 

Strategic Partnerships

Last April 2024, the JMSDF, US Pacific Fleet, and Royal Australian Navy signed the Trilateral Maritime Information Warfare Memorandum.

The agreement was intended to strengthen cooperation on “non-kinetic information operations related to intelligence, communications, meteorology/oceanography, electromagnetic, cyber and space domains, in addition to kinetic operations of the three fleets, for a ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific.’”

Since then, the three countries have joined forces for their first information warfare event, Exercise Blue Spectrum, held in Sydney in July 2024. 

External Threats

In the 2024 Defense of Japan white paper, territorial disputes with China, North Korea’s missile tests infringing on Japanese territory, and China-Russia joint activities involving operating aircraft and vessels around Japan were identified among the country’s security threats.

Japan’s largest-ever reorganization of its maritime self-defense force and enhanced strategic partnerships are responses to the current security landscape. 

The post Japan Restructures to Create ‘Fleet Information Warfare’ Command appeared first on The Defense Post.

The combat aircraft were flown at the Egypt International Air Show held from September 3 to 5 at El Alamein International Airport.

Cairo declined to upgrade its current air force fleet with fighters from the US and instead opted to procure the multi-role fourth-generation Chinese fighters.

The US-made F-16 model that the Egyptian Air Force received in the 1980s has limited capabilities — the fleet is outfitted with outdated avionics and AIM-7P Sparrow missiles — due to restrictions over US concerns about the country’s human rights violations and regional conflicts.

Meanwhile, the J-10C is equipped to fight against modern threats in air-to-air combat and strike missions with PL-10 short-range and PL-15 beyond-visual-range missiles, high maneuverability, and advanced avionics. 

Reports indicated that Egypt is diversifying its military suppliers to reduce reliance on the West, particularly the US. Following Pakistan’s purchase of the Chengdu J-10C in 2022, Egypt will be the second international customer. 

The move follows the trend of Middle Eastern and African countries seeking alternatives to Western economic and political dominance with restrictive conditions.

To access favorable funding and investment and align itself more closely with the Global South, Egypt recently joined the BRICS economic group of nations along with Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia.

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The ministry told lawmakers in its latest budget report that it is eyeing a fivefold increase in its Stinger stockpile, from 500 missiles to 2,485.

It also plans to purchase 549 launch systems and 549 identification friend-or-foe (IFF) transponders.

To fund the potential procurement, the ministry is reportedly requesting 69 billion New Taiwan dollars ($2.2 billion) — a significant increase over the 13 billion New Taiwan dollars ($405 million) previously sought.

Taipei initially aimed to acquire 545 Stingers from the US, along with 193 launch systems and 193 IFF transponders for its army and navy.

The ministry said Washington has authorized the changes.

Due to Heightened Tensions

The decision to expand Taipei’s Stinger missile stockpile is driven by the alarming rise in tensions across the Taiwan Strait, according to a Taiwanese defense official.

He noted that Beijing’s provocative incursions into Taiwan’s exclusive zone highlight the need to bolster the country’s air defense capabilities.

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has expressed intentions to unify it with the mainland, with force if necessary.

In 2019, the US State Department said it had approved Taiwan’s request for 250 Block I FIM-92 Stinger missiles worth $224 million.

Washington also pledged to send Stinger missiles to the island nation in 2023 as part of a $500 million military aid package.

Combat-Proven Solution

The Stinger man-portable missile offers a short-range air defense against low-flying enemy aircraft.

It can be fired by a single operator, but military units often use a spotter for more accurate target identification.

The weapon uses infrared homing to track and follow targets, and it is also capable of identifying friendly aerial vehicles to avoid unnecessary attacks.

Raytheon said its Stinger missile has been combat-proven in four major conflicts, including the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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