US Alliance Gets Major Missile Defense Boost Against Pacific Adversaries
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The United States and Japan—a key Washington ally—have received a major boost in missile defense against threats posed by their adversaries, namely China, North Korea and Russia.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese and Russian defense ministries for comment via email. North Korea's embassy in China did not immediately respond to a written request for comment.
Why It Matters
China has built a missile arsenal capable of targeting Japan—including U.S. military bases there—as well as long-range, nuclear-armed missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland, according to the Pentagon, prompting the allies to strengthen their missile defense networks.
Facing a growing threat from North Korea—which has frequently conducted missile tests by firing weapons into waters near Japan—the U.S. has deployed missile interceptors in Alaska and California to defend the mainland against North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Russia, which possesses the world's largest nuclear arsenal, also has missiles capable of targeting the U.S. mainland. Its relations with Japan have deteriorated since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, when Japan joined the U.S. and other nations in imposing sanctions on Russia.
In this photo provided by Lockheed Martin on July 7, 2025, an AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antenna is being hoisted into position.
In this photo provided by Lockheed Martin on July 7, 2025, an AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antenna is being hoisted into position.
Lockheed Martin
What To Know
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has delivered four AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar antennas to the Japanese Defense Ministry. These will be installed on Japan's under-development destroyer, known as the Aegis System Equipped Vessel (ASEV).
Japan has acquired a pair of ASEVs for its Maritime Self-Defense Force, which are set to be commissioned in fiscal years 2027 and 2028, according to Lockheed Martin. They can engage multiple targets simultaneously with "advanced detection and tracking capabilities."
Each of Japan's 12,000-ton ASEVs—which will be tasked with defending the nation against ballistic missile attacks—is equipped with up to 128 missiles for intercepting various types of enemy missiles, as well as for land-attack missions, according to specialist outlet Naval News.
The shipboard radar installed on the ASEV has a land-based counterpart currently deployed by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency as the Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska, which was initially fielded in December 2021.
On June 23, the LRDR conducted its first flight test tracking a live intercontinental ballistic missile target, during which it successfully "acquired, tracked, and reported missile target data" to support a simulated engagement, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
The target was air-launched over the northern Pacific Ocean and flew over 1,200 miles off the southern coast of Alaska. Data reported by the LRDR and the Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR) was transmitted to the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system.
This photo provided by the United States Missile Defense Agency on June 24, 2025, shows the Long-Range Discrimination Radar at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska.
This photo provided by the United States Missile Defense Agency on June 24, 2025, shows the Long-Range Discrimination Radar at Clear Space Force Station in Alaska.
U.S. Missile Defense Agency
The GMD protects the U.S. homeland against North Korean missile attacks. It was used in a simulated intercontinental ballistic missile attack in April during Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll's visit to Fort Greely in Alaska, where up to 60 missile interceptors are deployed in silos.
What People Are Saying
Chandra Marshall, vice president of Multi-Domain Combat Solutions at Lockheed Martin, said in a press release on Monday: "The successful on-time delivery of all antennas for the first ASEV showcases the maturity and scalability of the SPY-7 radar as well as production capacity, while also demonstrating Lockheed Martin's dedication and expertise in system integration."
Lieutenant General Heath Collins, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, said in a press release on June 24: "LRDR will provide [United States Northern Command] and the United States Space Force with the ability to precisely track ballistic missile threats as well as other space objects, advancing our ability to deter adversaries and bolster our homeland missile defense."
What Happens Next
The testing of the LRDR's tracking capabilities comes as the Trump administration pushes for a nationwide missile defense program known as the Golden Dome.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
16 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Nvidia (NVDA) Unveils Cloud Gaming Boost and China-Only Chip
Nvidia (NVDA), the GPU manufacturing giant, is rolling out what it calls the largest upgrade to its GeForce Now cloud gaming service. Starting in September 2025, Ultimate tier users will gain access to the new RTX 5080-powered servers. These machines promise 62 teraflops of compute strength and a 48 gigabyte frame buffer, while also using AMD (AMD) Ryzen Zen 5 CPUs with double the memory found in the current setup. As a result, users can stream games in up to 5K at 120 frames per second, and competitive players can reach 360 frames per second at 1080p with latency as low as 30 milliseconds. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. In addition, Nvidia is adding a Cinematic Quality Streaming mode with sharper colors, HDR10 support, and AI-based filters. This will stream at up to 100 megabits per second using the AV1 codec. The company is also doubling its library to more than 4,500 games through an Install to Play feature that stores titles in the cloud. Premium and Ultimate members will get 100 gigabytes of free single-session storage, while larger options up to 1 terabyte will be offered at monthly prices starting at $2.99. New Chip Built for China At the same time, Nvidia is working on new chips designed for China under tight trade rules. According to reports, the company is preparing a chip called B30A that is based on its Blackwell design and offers about half the computing strength of its flagship B300 model. Samples may ship to Chinese firms as soon as next month, but approval from U.S. regulators remains uncertain. Nvidia is also expected to deliver a lower-cost RTX6000D chip in September that falls just below U.S. export limits for memory speed. Therefore, investors now see a mix of opportunity and risk. The cloud gaming push could expand a stable subscription stream, while trade rules leave open questions in the important Chinese market, which accounted for about 13% of revenue last year. Is Nvidia Stock a Buy, Sell, or Hold? On the Street, Nvidia continues to boast a Strong Buy consensus, based on 38 analysts' ratings and 35 buys. The average NVDA stock price target is $192.62, implying a 5.83% upside from the current price.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Gavin Newsom and Pete Buttigieg's Chances of Beating JD Vance in 2028: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new poll shows potential 2028 presidential election matchups between Vice President JD Vance and prominent Democratic leaders as next year's midterm campaigns are on the horizon. Why It Matters Early polls, especially in crucial swing states, have gained significance as potential contenders for the 2028 presidential election begin to emerge. Even with the election still a few years away, polling could offer insight into candidate viability, voter sentiment and evolving party dynamics, particularly after the pivotal 2024 election cycle. What To Know In the poll released Tuesday by SoCal Strategies and sponsored by On Point Politics and Red Eagle Politics, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom secured 39 percent in a potential matchup with Vance, who landed 37 percent. The survey shows 23 percent were undecided in the matchup. In a race against former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Vance trailed with 37 percent of the vote compared to Buttigieg's 41 percent. The survey shows 21 percent were undecided. The poll surveyed 700 U.S. adults on August 18. "The survey was weighted by age, gender, race, education, and 2024 vote to match the Bonfire National Voter File," the pollster noted. ESPN host Stephen A. Smith also came close to Vance in the survey, receiving 35 percent of the vote compared to Vance's 37 percent. Previous polling has shown Vance as the clear GOP primary front-runner. The field is more crowded for Democrats, as former Vice President Kamala Harris, Newsom and Buttigieg all are early top contenders. Tuesday's poll also shows President Donald Trump's overall approval rating at 45 percent versus a disapproval rating of 48 percent. California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on the state's redistricting plans at a news conference on August 14 in Los Angeles. (Photo by) California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on the state's redistricting plans at a news conference on August 14 in Los Angeles. (Photo by) What People Are Saying Columbia University professor Robert Y. Shapiro, to Newsweek via email on Tuesday: "It is of course much too early to tell anything significant from this other than the 2028 election is likely to be close just like the last presidential elections. See the high percent undecided as well. "The data may suggest that Vance is not as strong a candidate as Donald Trump, but we would need to compare the hypothetical of Trump running for an imaginary third term against Newsom or Buttigieg. Regardless of what might happen in the midterm election, it looks like 2028 will be another nail biter..." Trump, while answering questions during a news conference on the 2028 Olympics, when directly asked if Vance is the successor to MAGA: "Well, I think most likely in all fairness, he's the vice president. I think Marco [Rubio] is also somebody that maybe would get together with JD in some form. I also think we have incredible people, some of the people on the stage right here, so it's too early obviously to talk about it but certainly he's doing a great job, and he would be probably favored at this point." What Happens Next Pollsters and analysts were expected to release additional national and state-level surveys in the coming months as midterm campaigning ramps up.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
India and China: US Tariffs Turn Rivals Toward Friendship in Major Geopolitical Shift
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a two-day visit viewed by many as the first indication of a thaw in relations between two rivals. The last such meeting took place in 2020 after a border clash heightened tensions between China and India, which have long been locked in a state of controlled hostility. More from Sourcing Journal No Hint of a Slowdown at Arc'teryx Parent Amer Sports Despite Tariff Impacts India Suspends Duties on Raw Cotton Imports, Benefitting US Exporters EU Tech Regulation Could Be Holding Up Final Trade Agreement With U.S. Moving forward in the wake of extraordinarily high U.S. tariffs of 50 percent on India, the two largest economies in Asia are looking for synergy and a positive outlook to navigate the turbulence in global trade. Neither side is pretending past tensions are moot, even though it is clear that geopolitics in South Asia stands at an important crossroads. After their meeting on Monday, India's foreign minister S. Jaishankar said it was time to 'move ahead from a difficult period in our ties,' while Wang Yi indicated it was time to 'move beyond being adversaries, to being partners.' Both sides agreed that 'stability had now been restored at the borders,' although analysts warned that years of mistrust could not 'so easily be swept aside by business interests.' Wang Yi's meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence further underlined the effort. After the meeting, Modi tweeted: 'Glad to meet foreign minister Wang Yi. Stable, predictable, constructive ties between India and China will contribute significantly to regional as well as global peace and prosperity.' He added, 'I look forward to our next meeting in Tianjin on the sidelines of the SCO Summit,' referring to his accepted visit to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. Pushed further together by what is being seen as a rupture in friendship with President Donald Trump through the punishing 50 percent tariff on Indian goods (the highest in the region), Modi is recalibrating India's strategy. The tariff began with a 25 percent duty for India, compared to 20 percent for Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, along with 19 percent for Pakistan, Cambodia and Indonesia. The additional 25 percent was slapped on India for its imports of Russian crude oil, bringing the total to 50 percent are set to take effect on Aug. 27. India has held firm in its objections to the tariffs, with the Ministry of External Affairs calling the targeting of India 'unjustified and unreasonable.' The overtures to China are viewed as a part of the fallout between the U.S. and India. Premal Udani, former chairman of the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) and managing director of Kaytee Corp Pvt Ltd, described the situation as an 'existential crisis for the apparel and textile industry.' He told Sourcing Journal that many U.S. buyers had paused shipments and put new orders on hold. 'The industry cannot take this kind of impact. Current effective duties are already at around 40 percent and will climb to 65 percent next week,' he said. Hopes that a U.S. delegation visit this week might advance bilateral trade talks appear dim, with reports suggesting the visit has been put on hold. 'There were two things happening at the same time. There was talk of a Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA), and the delegation was coming for that—it wasn't to negotiate on tariffs. Realistically, none of us expected much headway in the BTA until these contentious issues were resolved. We were not holding our breath,' Udani explained. According to a recent report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), nearly 70 percent of Indian exports to the U.S. will face 50 percent tariffs under the new tariff regime. 'While this represents just 1.56 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 7.38 percent of total exports—far from catastrophic for a $3.9 trillion economy—the impact is concentrated in labor-intensive and high-value sectors such as textiles, apparel, gems, jewelry, auto parts, and agricultural products like shrimp. These sectors not only anchor India's merchandise exports to the U.S. but also directly affect employment and the livelihoods of millions. The U.S. alone accounted for approximately 29 percent of India's textile and apparel exports last financial year, valued at about $10.3 billion,' the report noted. Manufacturers have been faced with some dire conversations with the brands and retailers these past weeks. In Tirupur, which accounts for 68 percent of India's knitwear exports, manufacturers have paused shipments and voiced deep uncertainty. U.S. buyers account for nearly one-quarter of exports from Tirupur, and Tamil Nadu officials warned that the entire state—which sends 31 percent of its $52.18 billion exports to the U.S.—faces urgent threats to livelihoods. The Tirupur Exporters and Manufacturers Association (TEAMA) said that 3 million jobs and 20,000 factories are 'at immediate risk' due to the extra 25 percent to 50 percent tariff. The association has appealed to Prime Minister Modi for relief measures, including high-level diplomatic talks, loan-repayment moratoriums, collateral-free working capital loans, and the temporary suspension of the goods and service tax, income tax and other levies for affected exporters. Sanjay Jain, chair of the Indian Chamber of Commerce National Textiles Committee and managing director of TT Ltd, echoed the depth of the crisis throughout the textile and apparel sectors. 'It's a bad situation—buyers are putting orders on hold, and even ready goods are being asked not to dispatch. Exporters are having to give steep discounts just to move shipments or secure new orders. It's a total loss for exporters,' he said. Jain urged urgent action, warning that summer orders were already being placed and India could not afford to lose market share to other countries. 'The U.S. is the single largest buyer of home textiles and apparel in the world—we cannot ignore it. Now it is about the survival of the small and medium companies and skilled labor. The government must act boldly and support the industry in finding new pastures.' His suggestions included quickly reducing raw material costs, removing import duties on cotton and textile raw materials, and offering a 10 percent U.S.-focused incentive for products facing the 50 percent tariff. Other manufacturers told Sourcing Journal that a 'comparative paralysis has set in.' 'While there's no point in hand-wringing over the so-called friendship with the U.S. and casting blame, all eyes are on our government to see how they protect this badly hit, labor-intensive industry. It's hard to see how the government can cover the 30 percent tariff gap monetarily. We need a multi-pronged strategy,' said a Tirupur based manufacturer, requesting anonymity. Prime Minister Modi's Independence Day speech on Aug. 15, in which he promised relief for the industry through tax reforms before the festival of Diwali in November, signals movement toward India holding its own. Additionally, on Monday, the Finance Ministry announced the elimination of the 11 percent duty on cotton imports until Sept. 30, a step welcomed by manufacturers and a move that also eases access for U.S. cotton into India. Hansa Sharma, founder of the eco-friendly sustainable fashion brand Hansa, described how the situation was transforming the entire supply chain in a post: 'This is a reminder that trade policies don't just change numbers on a balance sheet—they reshape entire supply chains. As a manufacturer, we see first-hand how tariffs tilt the playing field, making adaptability and efficiency more critical than ever. While challenges are real, they also push us to rethink sourcing, diversify markets, and lean into innovation. In the end, resilience becomes the true currency of global trade.' A northern India manufacturer, described it as a 'huge ripple effect.' 'In India it is creating a de facto embargo for exports to the U.S., but the impact is much bigger than that. The tariffs are not only straining local supply chains but also reshaping the geopolitics of sourcing in South Asia,' he said, adding that manufacturers were already considering building factories in other countries, although that would result in a loss of employment in India. Despite the palpable tension, not all are swamped in gloom. Many manufacturers endorsed Jaishankar's point to Wang Yi that 'differences must not become disputes, nor competition conflict,' and that the same point could well be applied to the business of sourcing. While the tentative Chinese connections were not immediately seen as bridges to building business, Udani said that they were overall a 'very positive step forward.' 'They need our raw materials and we need a lot of their goods as well. If it works out it's a win-win situation for 25 percent of humanity,' he said. As for the upcoming deadline for additional U.S. tariffs that is causing disruptions across the supply chain, it's still being seen as a possible window to change. 'We're still cautiously optimistic,' said Udani. 'As Russia-U.S. talks are on, and Ukraine-U.S. talks are on, this issue of tariffs for crude oil imports from Russia may well be swept aside for India.' He pointed to China's last-minute extension on tariffs as an encouraging precedent, while acknowledging that 'given the impulsive and uncertain way tariffs are being distributed, it could quite go the opposite way, too.' 'So, Aug. 27 is the date to watch,' he said, referring to the deadline for the second 25 percent in tariff measures to take effect. His optimism went further: 'I wish other countries well, but in the end, India has great strength in its verticality in the sector. It's only a matter of time, and hopefully we will get a chance to get there.' Solve the daily Crossword
