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Pentagon Responds to Chinese Balloon Incident with Last-Minute Investment in ISR: Analysis of the 2024 Budget

The Pentagon’s proposed budget for 2024 includes a last-minute investment in Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities following a recent incident involving China’s use of a high-altitude balloon to monitor the US military. The $753 billion budget, which was submitted to Congress on March 16th, includes an additional $1.4 billion for ISR capabilities, bringing the […]
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UK and German Eurofighters Intercept First Russian Aircraft in Joint Baltic Air Policing Mission

On March 14, 2023, Eurofighter combat aircraft from the United Kingdom and Germany intercepted the first Russian aircraft of the joint NATO Baltic Air Policing mission. The Russian aircraft was identified as a Tupolev Tu-22M bomber, and it was intercepted and shadowed by the Eurofighters for the duration of its flight. The Baltic Air Policing […]
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AUKUS Pact: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions in the Asia-Pacific Region

China has responded with predictable fury to the official announcement this week of the so-called AUKUS pact, under which the United States and Britain will provide high-tech nuclear submarines to Australia, which Beijing sees as a direct threat. The deal, announced recently, marks a major escalation in the geopolitical tensions in the region and represents […]
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Beijing’s Strategic Play: Joint Maneuvers with Tehran and Moscow in the Gulf of Oman

On Wednesday, Beijing announced that it would be conducting joint military maneuvers with Tehran and Moscow in the Gulf of Oman. The exercises are expected to last five days and will involve naval, air, and ground forces from all three countries. The announcement has raised eyebrows in Washington and other Western capitals, who are concerned […]
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Iraq and pledges to maintain military presence

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made a surprise visit to Iraq, his first as part of President Joe Biden’s administration. The visit comes almost 20 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and created instability that allowed the rise of Islamic State militants after the US withdrew its forces in 2011. Austin, […]
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Taiwan warns of ‘repeated provocations’ as tensions escalate with China

China-Taiwan relations have been tense for decades, with Beijing viewing the democratic island as a renegade province that must be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. However, in recent years, tensions have escalated as China has ramped up its military and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty. On Tuesday, March 7, […]
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Japan’s H3 Rocket Fails Debut Flight, Dents Bid to Cut Space Access Costs and Compete with SpaceX

Japan’s efforts to cut the cost of accessing space and compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX took a major setback on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, when its new medium-lift rocket failed on its debut flight. The 57-meter H3 rocket, Japan’s first new model in three decades, was launched from the Tanegashima spaceport but its second-stage engine […]
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Li Keqiang’s Appointment as Premier Signals Further Centralization of Power in China Under Xi Jinping’s Leadership

China’s political Landscape: Xi Jinping’s Guy Li Set to Become China’s Next Premier On March 7, 2023, China announced that Li Keqiang is set to become the country’s next premier. Li is a longtime acolyte of President Xi Jinping, and his selection as premier indicates that Xi’s influence and power will continue to grow. Li’s […]
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