#naval-tensions

#naval-tensions

The January 3rd Operation Absolute Resolve ousted Venezuelan Dictator Nicholas Maduro, marking a significant shift in US policy towards countering adversarial influence in the western hemisphere.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has spent his first year in office warning that time is running out to prepare for a possible conflict with China. In the past two months alone, he has proposed a sweeping special defense budget and backed a landmark $11 billion U.S. weapons purchase meant to strengthen the island's deterrence. But his commitments are colliding with Taiwan's domestic political reality.

The major shift in the NDS lies in the shifting approach of the US Defense Department, which considers security of the homeland and Western Hemisphere its primary concern. The document noted that the US military would be guided by four central priorities: defend the homeland, push allies around the world away from reliance on the US military, strengthen defence industrial bases and deter China as opposed to a policy of containment.

This body upholds the principle of placing national security first and firmly defending territorial integrity. Han urged the government to provide a delivery schedule so parliament can review it.

The PLAN "is executing a significant strategic shift from diesel-electric to all-nuclear construction, representing a fundamental departure from historical construction patterns." Expanded investments at three shipyards, major construction efforts, and infrastructure upgrades have increased China's nuclear submarine production rate from less than one boat a year "to significantly higher rates."

The Chinese Coast Guard launched a rescue effort to save Filipino sailors near the disputed Scarborough Shoal after their cargo ship capsized with 21 people on board. China and the Philippines were searching for survivors in the South China Sea on Friday after a vessel carrying 21 Filipinos on board capsized near the disputed Scarborough Shoal. "Two nearby Chinese Coast Guard vessels immediately went to help with rescue upon receiving orders," Chinese military said in an online post.