#indo-pacific

#indo-pacific

Countries are increasingly settling aside old grudges to lessen their reliance on Washington. As Donald Trump continues to unleash havoc on allies and trading partners, countries are scrambling to forge new alliances and mend broken ones as they try to shield themselves from a mercurial American president. The past few months have seen a flurry of diplomatic moves by governments seeking to lessen their reliance on the United States, including among countries that had long nursed grudges against one another.

At the Army's annual gathering in Washington, DC, this week, Command Sgt. Maj. Shaun Curry of the 25th Infantry Division said that some drone models tested elsewhere struggled soon after arriving in Hawaii. "When that equipment came to Hawaii, it was 100 degrees outside," with a lot of salt water in the air, Curry said. "Those drones did not last in those heat environments."

As the U.S.-Japan alliance confronts an era where digital threats increasingly target economic stability and national security, integrating cyber strategy into the relationship is essential. The longstanding pillars of military, trade, and diplomacy have supported peace and prosperity. Still, the rise of cyberspace as a borderless, high-stakes domain demands that both nations make cybersecurity a foundational element of their partnership in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.

This big monthlong exercise brought together several major training events and involved US forces across the services, along with allies and partners. The drills focused on core objectives such as flying and sustaining a high number of missions, moving cargo under threat, using space-based technologies across air, land, sea, and cyber operations, and practicing large-scale Agile Combat Employment tactics, which are about making US forces more flexible and harder to target.

The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent. We hope not, but it certainly could be.