NATO’s leaders are set to approve a separate command at Wiesbaden, Germany, to coordinate training and equipment donations to Kyiv’s forces, a senior administration official told reporters last week.
The command will have about 700 personnel from NATO countries and partner nations assigned to the center, an alliance news release said. The administration officials, speaking to the press Friday, said the center...
The Russian Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy began their annual joint patrol on Thursday with Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO) reporting the combined flotilla is now in the Pacific Ocean after transiting Japan’s Osumi Strait from Thursday to Friday.
Corvette RFS Sovershenny (333) rendezvoused with PLAN destroyer CNS Yinchuan (175), frigate CNS Hengshui (572) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887) in the Korea Strait near...
https://news.usni.org/2024/07/05/chinese-russian-joint-warship-patrol-begins-in-the-pacific
China sailed its aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) into the South China Sea, as close as 230 miles from the Philippine main island of Luzon. Meanwhile, PLAN ships have been operating around Japan over the past few days, according to Japan Joint Staff Office releases.
Satellite imagery showed Shandong sailing within 230 miles of Luzon on June 26. The Philippine Navy has downplayed the...
The following is the July 1, 2024, Congressional Research Service In Focus report, China Primer: China’s Political System.
From the report
The People’s Republic of China (PRC or China) is the only Communist Party-led state either among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council or among the members of the G-20 grouping of major economies. As Congress has intensified its focus on China in the context of U.S.-China strategic competition, Members have increasingly sought to...
https://news.usni.org/2024/07/02/summary-of-chinas-political-system
These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of July 1, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.
Ships Underway
| Total Battle Force | Deployed | Underway |
| 296 (USS 235, USNS 61) | 106 (USS 73, USNS 33) | 62 (45 Deployed, 17 Local) |
In JapanThe official party salute as the...
The Japan Self Defense Force has stationed a mobile radar system on Kita Daito Island in the Philippine Sea to expand Japan’s capabilities in the area. Meanwhile, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit held a live fire exercise on Wednesday and the Russian Navy Pacific Fleet wrapped up joint drills with the joint command of troops and forces in the north-east of the Russian Federation on Friday.
In a Friday press...
The following is the June 25, 2024, Congressional Research Service In Focus report, South Korea: Background and U.S. Relations.
From the report
Overview
South Korea (officially the Republic of Korea, or ROK) is one of the United States’ most important strategic and economic partners in Asia. The U.S.-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1953 at the end of the Korean War, commits the United States to help South Korea defend itself, particularly from North Korea (officially the Democratic People’s...
https://news.usni.org/2024/06/28/report-to-congress-on-u-s-south-korea-relations
The U.S., Japan and South Korea kicked off the first trilateral Freedom Edge exercise on Thursday, according to a joint statement. North Korea meanwhile claimed on Thursday that it carried out successful test with multiple warheads on Wednesday.
“Freedom Edge expresses the will of Japan, ROK, and U.S. to promote trilateral interoperability and protect freedom for peace and stability in the...
The United States Navy and 28 partner nations will begin the 29th biennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise on Thursday around the Hawaiian Islands with 40 surface ships, three submarines, 14 national land forces, over 150 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel taking part in the drills that will end on...