China and its allies in BRICS—a group the East Asian power formed with 10 other countries, including Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa—staged a naval exercise on Friday to enhance their ability to safeguard trade routes and economic activities at sea. www.newsweek.com/china-stages...

New analysis of China’s ‘Q-ship’ with containerised weapons -> www.hisutton.com/Chinese-Q-Sh... It’s not what many people think. * history of containerized weapons on merchant ships * the drone carrier angle * the implications for a potential war in Asia

A Newsweek map tracks four United States intelligence-collection aircraft flying across the western Pacific this week, using open-source flight data, as the Pentagon maintains a strong presence of forces in the region. www.newsweek.com/mapped-us-in...

In photos released on Wednesday, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was seen conducting flight operations in the South China Sea. The Navy said the deployment helped "deter aggression, strengthen alliances and partnerships, and advance peace through strength." www.newsweek.com/us-stealth-j...

Lockheed Martin will increase its production of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement, or PAC-3 MSE, interceptor from about 600 to 2,000 annually to meet "long-term demand" from U.S. forces, allies and partner nations. www.newsweek.com/us-patriot-m...

China's Defense Ministry said the Type 055 destroyers CNS Nanchang, CNS Lhasa, CNS Anshan and CNS Wuxi departed a naval base and headed toward the Yellow Sea to conduct their first training mission of the new year. www.newsweek.com/video-shows-...

Satellite imagery reviewed by Newsweek shows all three Chinese aircraft carriers at naval bases following a busy deployment schedule across the western Pacific in 2025. www.newsweek.com/satellites-c...

Japan has said it intercepted a group of Chinese military aircraft, led by bombers, last month near its outlying southwestern islands during Beijing's large-scale war games around Taiwan. www.newsweek.com/photo-armed-...

The Chinese military began its annual training for the new year on Sunday by flexing its hypersonic strike capabilities—weapons capable of flying toward targets at more than five times the speed of sound—during a missile drill, state media reported. www.newsweek.com/china-hypers...

The Chinese Type 075 amphibious assault ship CNS Hainan returned to base after a blockade-style war game near Taiwan, according to satellite imagery. www.newsweek.com/satellites-c...

"China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and action against its president." www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/xw/fyrbt...

As 2025 has come to its conclusion, Naval News provides the usual annual review on notable developments for the Chinese Navy. This first part outlines relevant additions to the PLAN surface fleet and also takes a look at operational trends By @alxluck.bsky.social www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2...

In footage released on Friday, the Chinese military said the Rocket Force had become a powerful deterrent force since its establishment, calling it "fearless" against opponents and capable of covering the world with unlimited range. www.newsweek.com/china-rocket...

A Newsweek map shows where the United States has sent its heavy bombers overseas, including stealth aircraft capable of penetrating enemy defenses and delivering nuclear strikes, amid military tensions in East Asia, Europe and the Middle East in 2025. www.newsweek.com/following-us...

China, a top maritime rival of the U.S., is expected to continue rapid naval modernization and expand its presence at sea in the new year, following the fielding of new warships and a growing reach in the Pacific in 2025, @alxluck.bsky.social and Tom Shugart said. www.newsweek.com/china-plans-...

Kadena Air Base in Japan, a major United States air power hub near China, has been reinforced with fighter jets during a force transition that began in fall 2022, ensuring a continuous and credible presence in the western Pacific, a Newsweek map shows. www.newsweek.com/mapped-how-u...

Emission Control graphic describing the three-strike policy that enforces adherence to EMCON Conditions and the appropriate responses to different EMCON conditions aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier USS George Washington while moored pierside in Yokosuka, Japan, Dec. 29, 2025.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army is "actively considering and planning" additional military facilities to support naval and air projection, the Pentagon assessed, in addition to China's bases in Djibouti and Cambodia. www.newsweek.com/world-map-sh...

The Pentagon detailed the PLA's missile order of battle in its report. China's intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) fleet has added 50 missiles and 50 launchers, bringing the totals to 550 missiles and 300 launchers. www.newsweek.com/chinas-growi...

China Military Bugle, a PLA media account, released footage on Sunday showing the Type 055 destroyer CNS Wuxi conducting what it called a "finalization test" of the YJ-20 anti-ship hypersonic missile in undisclosed waters. www.newsweek.com/video-china-...

The Pentagon assessed that China "probably made progress on its attempts to achieve an early warning counterstrike (EWCS) capability" and has likely loaded over 100 DF-31 ICBMs at the Hami, Yulin and Yumen silo fields to support this position. www.newsweek.com/map-china-nu...

China—the world's third-largest nuclear power, behind Russia and the United States by number of warheads—is unlikely to increase transparency around its buildup in the new year, following this year's unveiling of new weapons, @tongzhao.bsky.social told Newsweek. www.newsweek.com/chinas-2026-...

Scrolling through my Facebook photos and I came across these. They were taken around 14 years ago when I worked on my honours project about naval diplomacy during my final year at the university.

A Pentagon map displays the maximum ranges of China's conventionally armed missiles. The DF-27 land-attack and anti-ship ballistic missile has the longest range, up to 4,970 miles, capable of reaching Alaska, Hawaii and much of the U.S. West Coast. www.newsweek.com/map-range-ch...

In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military power, the Pentagon said China aims to have nine aircraft carriers by 2035, including those already in service: CNS Liaoning, CNS Shandong and CNS Fujian, which was commissioned in November. www.newsweek.com/china-plans-...

Senior PLA Leaders Investigated and Removed or Punished, May 2023-May 2025 Source: Pentagon's Chinese military power report media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/23/...

Satellite imagery shows two Chinese aircraft carriers, CNS Liaoning and CNS Fujian, docking at Yuchi Naval Base in northeastern China, while CNS Shandong was seen at Yulin Naval Base borders the South China Sea. www.newsweek.com/satellites-f...

I found a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Transformer robot toy today.

The Russian and Chinese militaries have expanded their joint air patrols since 2019, with bombers—including those capable of carrying nuclear weapons—flying beyond East Asia into the broader Pacific and near Alaska, according to a Newsweek map. www.newsweek.com/russia-and-c...

The U.S. has deployed four aircraft carriers across the Indo-Pacific this year. USS Carl Vinson, USS Nimitz and USS George Washington have concluded their deployments, leaving USS Abraham Lincoln as the only U.S. aircraft carrier operating in the region. www.newsweek.com/how-us-aircr...

The Navy has confirmed to Newsweek that a West Coast-based submarine, USS Seawolf, arrived in Japan for a visit earlier this week, as the United States maintains a strong underwater presence in the western Pacific to deter its top military adversary, China. www.newsweek.com/us-submarine...

USS Idaho, the 26th Virginia-class fast attack submarine, became the second vessel of the class delivered to the Navy this year, while its future sister ship, USS Oklahoma, had all its hull sections joined to form a single unit during construction. www.newsweek.com/us-receives-...

China's most advanced aircraft carrier, CNS Fujian, has been spotted transiting the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday. It could return to Shanghai's Jiangnan Shipyard or reach Yuchi Naval Base on China's northeastern coast. www.newsweek.com/image-advanc...

Flight-tracking data shows that a pair of U.S. Air Force aircraft, an RC-135W Rivet Joint and a WC-135R Constant Phoenix, departed from Kadena Air Base on Japan's Okinawa Island on Monday, heading toward South Korea and Japan's main islands, respectively. www.newsweek.com/us-watches-p...

The CH-7 is classified as a high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance drone. It is capable of carrying multiple mission payloads, including electro-optical and infrared systems. www.newsweek.com/chinese-stea...

Chitose Air Base on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island near Russia, is set to become the third base for the country's F-35A jets, with deployment scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2030, according to a defense ministry document released on December 10. www.newsweek.com/japans-plan-...

The State Department has said the United States stands with the Philippines after the treaty ally's fishing boats were hit with water cannons by Chinese forces in the South China Sea last week, as maritime disputes between Manila and Beijing remain unresolved. www.newsweek.com/us-chinese-w...

The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning has concluded a weeklong deployment near Japan's southwestern outlying islands, including a circumnavigation of Kitadaitojima, Minamidaitojima and Okidaitojima. www.newsweek.com/tracker-chin...

Just some random snapshots taken during my day off today.

A Japanese defense agency confirmed to Newsweek that a high-energy laser system capable of shooting down drones is being installed on a ship for future at-sea trials. www.newsweek.com/japan-warshi...

A Newsweek map tracks how a Russian naval task group traveled from the country's Pacific Coast to the Red Sea during a long-distance voyage in the Indo-Pacific region. With comments from @thelookout.bsky.social www.newsweek.com/map-tracks-r...

The United States deployed two B-52H bombers to simulate strikes against "maritime threats" to the homeland in response to a growing Russian and Chinese presence near Alaska. www.newsweek.com/alaska-hosts...

The United States dispatched two B-52H bombers to Japan for exercises on Wednesday, a day after Russian and Chinese military aircraft "patrolled" near the U.S. ally's territory. www.newsweek.com/us-bomber-dr...

The U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command announced on Monday that it took operational acceptance of the Long Range Discrimination Radar from the Missile Defense Agency on December 4. www.newsweek.com/new-alaska-r...

The U.S. has deployed three vessels—aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George Washington, as well as amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli—capable of operating F-35 jets in the Western Pacific amid China's expanding maritime activity in the region. www.newsweek.com/us-f-35-carr...

A Newsweek map shows Russia and China deployed air and naval units—including bombers and an aircraft carrier—for a joint patrol and training near Japan on Tuesday. www.newsweek.com/map-russia-c...

The New Zealand military said that during an operation to help enforce sanctions against North Korea, one of its ships was shadowed by China in East Asian waters. www.newsweek.com/chinese-navy...

Russia and China recently conducted a joint anti-missile exercise, which @dvsteff.bsky.social told Newsweek signaled a growing level of trust, with the two sides able to mutually benefit amid the proliferation of long-range precision weapons in Europe and Asia. www.newsweek.com/how-russia-c...

China said its fighter pilots activated search radars, while Japan said fighter jet radar could also be used for fire control and that the party being illuminated cannot always "clearly determine" the radar's purpose. www.newsweek.com/china-radar-...

The U.S. Navy recovered the F/A-18F Super Hornet and the MH-60R Seahawk lost during two separate incidents off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. Both aircraft, lost on Oct. 26, were retrieved from a depth of 400 feet in the South China Sea. www.dvidshub.net/news/553474/...