Philippines, Australia Kick Off Drills Near South China Sea
The joint exercises, which includes drills in Palawan province facing the South China Sea, will run from Aug. 15 to 29, the Philippine military said on Friday night.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
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Israel Katz blocks reshuffle of military command in new clash with IDF chief
Sources close to Katz stated that Zamir did not consult or coordinate with him prior to the reshuffle, and therefore, the minister has decided that he will not approve the appointments. Defense Minister Israel Katz slammed IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir for his plans to reshuffle senior IDF positions, including replacing seven division commanders and appointing new leadership for the Armored and Engineering Corps. Current protocols require the defense minister's approval for senior IDF posts, such as any position with the rank of brigadier-general. Sources close to Katz said that Zamir did not consult or coordinate with the defense minister prior to the reorganization, and therefore, the minister has decided that he will not approve the appointments. In response, the IDF published the names and positions of its new senior appointees. Katz is trying to establish a precedent similar to the one made by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over senior Israel Police appointments, a military source said. 'The current procedure is that the IDF General Staff examines and presents a list of appointments to the minister,' the source continued. Katz's office released a statement, saying, 'The personnel discussion held today by Zamir was done contrary to the defense minister's directive and without prior coordination and agreement, which goes against the established procedure... The chief of staff will be required to coordinate with the defense minister to discuss these or other appointments in the future.' Later, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit issued a statement confirming that the listed appointments were conditional on the defense minister's approval. It added that 'this is a personnel discussion at the core of which are field operational positions to which field brigade commanders have been appointed. These commanders have led and commanded since the outbreak of the war on several battlefronts.' 'Zamir is the sole authority in issuing orders to appoint officers of the rank of colonel and above in the IDF,' the military went on to say. Only after the IDF's chief made these decisions, it continued, is the list then transferred to the minister for approval. Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid criticized Katz on Tuesday, saying, 'In this insane government, even a basic event like appointing officers in the IDF does not pass without leaks, arguments, slander, and late-night statements.' 'This is not how you run a country. This is not how you lead an army,' Lapid wrote. Some of the senior appointments proposed by Zamir Brig.-Gen. Barak Hiram, currently commander of the IDF's 99th Division, is slated to become the new head of the IDF Operations Directorate's Operations Division. The other seven IDF sections set to undergo leadership changes are the 98th, 36th, 210th, 99th, 146th, 143rd, and 252nd Divisions. Beyond these, the reshuffling and promotions also pertain to appointing new IDF Armored Corps and Engineering Corps commanders, as well as filling other senior positions with new heads across the military. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 hours ago
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Top German diplomat criticizes China ahead of Japan, Indonesia visit
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, just ahead of a trip to Japan and Indonesia, criticized China on Sunday for its increasingly aggressive behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and the East and South China Seas. "Fundamental rules of our global coexistence are at stake here," he warned before his departure from the Hamburg Airport. This also has implications for Europe, he added. Germany is countering this by advocating for "an international order based on the strength of the rule of law and binding rules for all." Wadephul is scheduled to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and several ministers responsible for economic affairs in Tokyo on Monday. A speech at a peace foundation is also planned. "Our freedom, our prosperity and our security—the goals that guide me as foreign minister—are not decided in Europe alone. They are decided especially in cooperation with strong partners worldwide," the minister said, explaining the purpose of his trip. Minister stresses importance of open sea routes "The Indo-Pacific is crucial in determining how secure the freedom of sea routes, global supply chains and, consequently, the economic development of the entire world remains," Wadephul said. This is of paramount importance for major exporting economies like Germany and Japan, as well as for emerging partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), such as Indonesia, he said. Germany's foreign minister is set to visit Indonesia on Wednesday. He criticized China for challenging the economies of Germany and Japan with unfair and market-distorting trade practices. He also noted that US tariff policies are unsettling businesses in Europe and Asia. Germany, he said, is working with key partners like Japan and Indonesia to promote economic relations based on free trade, competition and fairness. Germany shares more with Japan than with almost any other country in the Indo-Pacific region, the minister added. "We are united by values and interests, and we face the same massive challenges that call our liberal way of life into question." Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
4 hours ago
- Forbes
The U.S. Message To Australia And Japan
The United States is, not surprisingly, concerned about alliance burden-sharing and security commitments, recently focusing on Australia and Japan and their respective views toward Taiwan. U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby has raised this issue in conversations with Australian and Japanese leadership, asking these two U.S. allies to clarify their security commitments to Taiwan in the event of a mainland Chinese attack. The U.S. itself has long maintained a posture of 'strategic ambiguity,' deliberately avoiding specifics about its potential response to such a scenario. Colby's initiative aimed to signal regional unity in the U.S. effort to preserve the status quo between Taiwan and the mainland. It also carried a practical appeal: encouraging U.S. allies to strengthen their defense capabilities. Burden-sharing remains a perennial challenge in alliances, driven by the natural temptation for partners to save on defense expenditures and, relatively speaking, benefit from the U.S. defense budget. Partners tend to underinvest in their own defense, relying on the U.S. security umbrella. Here lies the paradox: neither Japan nor Australia can independently defend Taiwan. Only the United States possesses the military capacity—and therefore the credibility—to deter the People's Republic of China. Only the U.S. can impose long-term costs on China. Whether Australia or Japan increases or decreases its defense spending, the sole indispensable component of deterrence remains U.S. credibility. Japan knows this. Australia knows this. The U.S. knows this. Most importantly, China knows this. So why would Japan or Australia seek to strengthen their security commitments to Taiwan when doing so offers no meaningful advantage to Taiwan but risks provoking China? While Colby's outreach stirred debate in both countries, officials reiterated their positions of not formalizing any commitment to a hypothetical conflict. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated that Australia would not commit troops in advance to any conflict. That ambiguity reflects a desire to maintain strategic flexibility and avoid premature entanglement in a potential war. This conversation unfolds at a moment when the Trump administration is challenging or reshaping long-held positions and procedures in the Asia-Pacific and beyond. As Trump imposes higher tariffs on both Australia and Japan, the U.S. signals a shift away from its traditional role in alliance leadership and regional problem-solving—making itself a less attractive partner by reducing predictability and increasing the cost of engagement. Much of what the U.S. is attempting in its trade relationship with Australia is viewed as unnecessary, counterproductive, or even in bad faith. The U.S. has a Free Trade Agreement with Australia that eliminates tariffs on nearly all bilateral trade. In fact, the U.S. currently enjoys a trade surplus with Australia—one of Trump's stated trade goals. Rather than leading with a call for increased commitment to Taiwan, the U.S. could have pursued a less controversial approach: encouraging Japan and Australia to expand joint military exercises, enhance maritime surveillance, or simply boost defense spending without direct reference to China. By centering its request on Taiwan, the U.S. chose the approach least likely to elicit a positive response from its allies. The Trump administration's outreach to Japan and Australia appears to have resulted in diminished confidence in the U.S. and reduced credibility regarding Taiwan. The paradox is that the U.S. may still see incremental increases in both countries' defense budgets in the coming years—but driven by concern about the U.S., not concern about China.
