Latest news with #U.S.Indo-PacificCommand
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump administration to spend $1 billion on ‘offensive' hacking operations
The Trump administration, through the Department of Defense, plans to spend $1 billion over the next four years on what it calls 'offensive cyber operations.' The provision in Trump's landmark One Big Beautiful Bill does not say what those 'offensive cyber operations' are, nor what specific tools or software would qualify. The budget does note that the money will go towards enhancing and improving the capabilities of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which operates in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, the U.S.' biggest geopolitical rival. The move to spend a billion on cyber comes as the newly passed law also slashed a billion from the U.S.' cyber defense budget, at a time when the U.S. faces ongoing cyber threats from China. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat and long-standing member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the provision also comes as the Trump administration cut funding for defensive cybersecurity programs, including gutting the U.S. cybersecurity agency CISA and its budget. The cuts have been only in part rolled back after a federal court ruled the firing of 130 employees unlawful. 'The Trump administration has slashed funding for cybersecurity and government technology and left our country wide open to attack by foreign hackers,' Wyden said in an emailed statement to TechCrunch. 'Vastly expanding U.S. government hacking is going to invite retaliation — not just against federal agencies, but also rural hospitals, local governments and private companies who don't stand a chance against nation-state hackers.' Offensive cyber operations can describe a wide range of targeted hacks against U.S. adversaries, which include the use of zero-day exploits — unknown flaws in software that give their operators the ability to hack into a target's device — or the deployment of spyware, which can be used to steal data from a person. But these operations can also include more everyday components needed to support those operations, such as setting up the infrastructure needed to carry out cyberattacks, intelligence gathering, such as collecting or buying internet traffic (known as 'netflow'), and more. Spokespeople from the White House and the Department of Defense acknowledged receipt, but did not respond to a request for comment. Sign in to access your portfolio
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
How China's Military Is Flexing Its Power in the Pacific
HONG KONG—China's military is extending its reach deeper into the Pacific, sending ships and aircraft into new territory in a push that has spurred the U.S. to strengthen defenses and alliances in the region. Beijing has long resented what it sees as interference by the U.S. and its allies in its traditional sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Now, it is asserting itself more aggressively in its backyard while also pushing well beyond longstanding geographical limits of its military. In response, the U.S. and its allies are dispersing military assets more widely so that they can respond better in case of a clash with China. The U.S. is also pressing its Asian partners to bolster their own defenses. Here is a look at how China's military is pushing boundaries in the Pacific and how the U.S. seeks to respond to the perceived threat. When two Chinese aircraft carriers performed joint exercises in the western Pacific in June, Chinese forces conducted more than 1,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings, and jet fighters twice tailed Japanese patrols that were monitoring the exercises, Japan said. The U.S. has deployed so-called carrier-killer missiles in the northern Philippines, making it more dangerous for the Chinese to pass through the first island chain in a conflict. But the Chinese show of force in June was an important sign of defiance. 'The issue is not that they have increasing blue water capabilities and are deploying further from their coast—that's to be expected,' said Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow in naval studies at the University of New South Wales Canberra. 'The issue is the nature in which they are doing it, which is provocative.' Similarly, a Chinese trip in February and March around Australia was seen as cause for concern. 'Australia is not on its way to anywhere. If you send a naval task group to circumnavigate Australia, you're doing it to prove a point,' said Parker. In the U.S. view, the greatest menace in China's wide-ranging military exercises is to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own and has threatened to seize by force. Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, describes Chinese military exercises around Taiwan as rehearsals for an invasion. Along the Taiwan Strait, the roughly 100-mile-wide body of water that separates the island from mainland China, the threat is registered daily on the surface and in the air. Chinese military aircraft these days regularly cross a nominal median in the strait, Taiwan says, entering Taiwan's de facto air-defense identification zone, or ADIZ, in numbers that would have been shocking only a few years ago. President Trump has followed an American policy of not stating whether U.S. forces would come to Taiwan's aid in the event of a Chinese invasion. A U.S. intervention is seen on the island as essential to preventing a takeover. For now, the U.S. sells weapons to Taiwan including missile defense systems, trains some of the island's soldiers and aids its defense industry. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a gathering of defense officials in Singapore in late May that threats to Taiwan from China 'could be imminent,' and warned of 'devastating consequences' should Beijing seek to take over the island—part of a push for partners in the region to do more to counter China. Senior Communist Party official Liu Jianchao told a July forum in Beijing that Hegseth's remarks about China's intentions were inciting 'confrontation and conflict.' Allied cooperation The most visible example of the Trump administration's push may be its pressure on Asian allies to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. That effort has encountered some resistance. Japan is seeking to raise its outlay to only about 2%, while South Korea said in June that its military spending was already 'very high.' The U.S. meanwhile maintains a security footprint in Asia that includes tens of thousands of troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa, less than 500 miles from Taiwan. About 55,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan and more than 28,000 in South Korea. The U.S. military has beefed up its presence in the American territory of Guam, which already hosts several nuclear submarines and deployments of long-range bombers, by adding a new base expected to house 5,000 Marines. The U.S. has no permanent troops based in the Philippines, but Manila has given U.S. forces access to more bases in recent years. The U.S. has stepped up its activities there, including by deploying the Army's Typhon Missile System to the northern island of Luzon—putting Chinese military and commercial hubs within striking distance. U.S. military exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific include extensive drills in far-flung islands, such as the recent delivery of a high-precision antiship missile system to a Philippine island 120 miles south of Taiwan. A three-week exercise involving 19 participating countries, Talisman Sabre 2025, began Sunday in Australia, with the U.S. coleading the event. Beijing typically calls military exercises on its periphery provocative and destabilizing. In June, as a U.K. aircraft carrier group was making its way to Australia, a British naval vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in four years. Beijing denounced the passage and launched military drills that security officials in Taiwan described as a direct response. 'It's clear that Beijing is really pushing back against the way democratic countries are coming together,' one of the officials said. Write to Austin Ramzy at and Emma Brown at
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
North Korea Warns US Over Strategic Bombers Near Airspace
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. North Korea has accused the United States of threatening regional peace by deploying strategic bombers for a trilateral exercise over the Korean Peninsula last week. The drill—which involved aircraft from the U.S., Japan and South Korea—showed collective ability to respond immediately to regional security challenges, according to the U.S. military. Why It Matters North Korea is one of nine nuclear-armed nations, with an estimated 50 warheads and long-range missiles capable of delivering nuclear strikes against the U.S. mainland. Kim Jong Un, the country's leader, has vowed to pursue the "unlimited expansion" of his nuclear arsenal. Facing North Korea's growing threats, Japan and South Korea are under the protection of U.S. extended deterrence—also known as the nuclear umbrella—which refers to the pledge to deter and respond to nuclear threats, including through the use of U.S. nuclear weapons. What To Know A pair of American B-52H bombers was escorted by two Japanese F-2 fighter aircraft and two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets during a trilateral flight on Friday, according to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. It was the third such flight between the allies this year. Fighter aircraft from Japan and South Korea escort two U.S. B-52H bombers over the East China Sea on July 11, 2025. Fighter aircraft from Japan and South Korea escort two U.S. B-52H bombers over the East China Sea on July 11, 2025. South Korean Air Force The B-52H bomber is capable of carrying up to 70,000 pounds of ordnance, such as bombs and missiles, the U.S. Air Force says. According to the Federation of American Scientists, 46 of the 76 B-52H bombers are nuclear-capable, while the rest are conventionally armed only. It was not immediately clear whether the U.S. bombers that participated in the allied drill were nuclear-capable. Each nuclear-armed B-52H aircraft can carry up to 20 AGM-86B air-launched cruise missiles for nuclear strikes, the Federation of American Scientists added. According to the Japanese and South Korean defense ministries, the flight was conducted over the East China Sea, west of Japan's Kyushu Island and off the coast of South Korea's Jeju Island. Officially released photos show six allied military aircraft flying in formation. In a statement released on Sunday, the chief of the Policy Office of North Korea's Defense Ministry claimed that joint military activities between the U.S. and its two allies are the "main danger factors" heightening the level of military tension on the Korean Peninsula. "It is our just sovereign right to take countermeasures against provocative military actions such as the moves to strengthen the multilateral military alliance threatening the security of the region and the joint military drills with clear aggressive character," the statement warned. North Korea's Defense Ministry also said that the country's armed forces remain in "constant military preparedness" to counter what it called "collective provocations" by the U.S. and its allies, deter their aggression, and respond to "acts of war." Japanese and South Korean fighters are seen with American B-52H bombers over the East China Sea on July 11, 2025. Japanese and South Korean fighters are seen with American B-52H bombers over the East China Sea on July 11, 2025. South Korean Air Force What People Are Saying The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a press release on Friday: "Our steadfast commitment fosters trust, strengthens cooperation, and reinforces the collective will and ability to maintain security and stability in the Indo-Pacific." Japan's Joint Staff Office said in a press release on Saturday: "This exercise strongly promotes trilateral cooperation to respond to regional security challenges amid an increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, and demonstrates the strong commitment of the three countries to secure a free and open international order based on the rule of law." South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a press release on Friday: "Based on close coordination, the three countries will cooperate to jointly deter and respond to North Korea's threats while continuing with three-way training." The chief of the Policy Office of North Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement in English on Sunday: "We express serious concern over [U.S., Japanese and South Korean] hostile acts of persistently conducting provocative and threatening military actions while deliberately ignoring the security concern of [North Korea] and strongly warn of the grave consequences to be entailed by them on the regional situation." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether North Korea will take further action, such as firing ballistic missiles toward waters near Japan and South Korea, thereby showcasing its military capabilities.
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
How China's military is flexing its power in the Pacific
HONG KONG—China's military is extending its reach deeper into the Pacific, sending ships and aircraft into new territory in a push that has spurred the U.S. to strengthen defenses and alliances in the region. Beijing has long resented what it sees as interference by the U.S. and its allies in its traditional sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Now, it is asserting itself more aggressively in its backyard while also pushing well beyond longstanding geographical limits of its military. In response, the U.S. and its allies are dispersing military assets more widely so that they can respond better in case of a clash with China. The U.S. is also pressing its Asian partners to bolster their own defenses. Here is a look at how China's military is pushing boundaries in the Pacific and how the U.S. seeks to respond to the perceived threat. When two Chinese aircraft carriers performed joint exercises in the western Pacific in June, Chinese forces conducted more than 1,000 aircraft takeoffs and landings, and jet fighters twice tailed Japanese patrols that were monitoring the exercises, Japan said. The U.S. has deployed so-called carrier-killer missiles in the northern Philippines, making it more dangerous for the Chinese to pass through the first island chain in a conflict. But the Chinese show of force in June was an important sign of defiance. 'The issue is not that they have increasing blue water capabilities and are deploying further from their coast—that's to be expected," said Jennifer Parker, an adjunct fellow in naval studies at the University of New South Wales Canberra. 'The issue is the nature in which they are doing it, which is provocative." Similarly, a Chinese trip in February and March around Australia was seen as cause for concern. 'Australia is not on its way to anywhere. If you send a naval task group to circumnavigate Australia, you're doing it to prove a point," said Parker. In the U.S. view, the greatest menace in China's wide-ranging military exercises is to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own and has threatened to seize by force. Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, the head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, describes Chinese military exercises around Taiwan as rehearsals for an invasion. Along the Taiwan Strait, the roughly 100-mile-wide body of water that separates the island from mainland China, the threat is registered daily on the surface and in the air. Chinese military aircraft these days regularly cross a nominal median in the strait, Taiwan says, entering Taiwan's de facto air-defense identification zone, or ADIZ, in numbers that would have been shocking only a few years ago. President Trump has followed an American policy of not stating whether U.S. forces would come to Taiwan's aid in the event of a Chinese invasion. A U.S. intervention is seen on the island as essential to preventing a takeover. For now, the U.S. sells weapons to Taiwan including missile defense systems, trains some of the island's soldiers and aids its defense industry. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a gathering of defense officials in Singapore in late May that threats to Taiwan from China 'could be imminent," and warned of 'devastating consequences" should Beijing seek to take over the island—part of a push for partners in the region to do more to counter China. Senior Communist Party official Liu Jianchao told a July forum in Beijing that Hegseth's remarks about China's intentions were inciting 'confrontation and conflict." The most visible example of the Trump administration's push may be its pressure on Asian allies to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense. That effort has encountered some resistance. Japan is seeking to raise its outlay to only about 2%, while South Korea said in June that its military spending was already 'very high." The U.S. meanwhile maintains a security footprint in Asia that includes tens of thousands of troops on the Japanese island of Okinawa, less than 500 miles from Taiwan. About 55,000 U.S. military personnel are stationed in Japan and more than 28,000 in South Korea. The U.S. military has beefed up its presence in the American territory of Guam, which already hosts several nuclear submarines and deployments of long-range bombers, by adding a new base expected to house 5,000 Marines. The U.S. has no permanent troops based in the Philippines, but Manila has given U.S. forces access to more bases in recent years. The U.S. has stepped up its activities there, including by deploying the Army's Typhon Missile System to the northern island of Luzon—putting Chinese military and commercial hubs within striking distance. U.S. military exercises throughout the Indo-Pacific include extensive drills in far-flung islands, such as the recent delivery of a high-precision antiship missile system to a Philippine island 120 miles south of Taiwan. A three-week exercise involving 19 participating countries, Talisman Sabre 2025, began Sunday in Australia, with the U.S. coleading the event. Beijing typically calls military exercises on its periphery provocative and destabilizing. In June, as a U.K. aircraft carrier group was making its way to Australia, a British naval vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait for the first time in four years. Beijing denounced the passage and launched military drills that security officials in Taiwan described as a direct response. 'It's clear that Beijing is really pushing back against the way democratic countries are coming together," one of the officials said.
Miami Herald
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
New Satellite Image Shows U.S. Air Force Buildup at Key Indian Ocean Base
A new satellite image showed a buildup of U.S. Air Force assets at Diego Garcia, a strategic American base in the Indian Ocean. The development comes as tensions are high across the Middle East and Indo-Pacific after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) for comment. Diego Garcia serves as a critical forward base for U.S. military operations stretching from the Middle East to Southeast Asia. Its remote location and extensive airfield make it a key launching point for long-range strike missions and rapid-response deployments. The deployments at the base suggest a readiness for further military action in the region. The new satellite image revealed a U.S. aircraft presence at Diego Garcia that includes four B-52 strategic bombers, six F-15 fighter jets, and six KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, according to open-intelligence analyst MT Anderson on X, formerly known as Twitter. Diego Garcia's remote location-about 2,200 miles from Iran and 3,000 from southern China-provides a secure launch point for U.S. aircraft to conduct long-range missions and remain on station. Significant movement of military equipment at the air base had been taking place since March with experts believing it could be a staging point for any attack on Iran. In May, the U.S. Air Force announced that B-2 Spirit bombers had returned to Missouri after a deployment to Diego Garcia. On June 13, the U.S. launched a surprise overnight strike on three key Iranian nuclear facilities using B-2 stealth bombers that took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The overnight mission relied on deception, aerial refueling, and near-total radio silence to maintain secrecy and tactical surprise. Decoy flights toward the Pacific diverted attention from the actual eastward strike. Codenamed Operation Midnight Hammer, seven B-2 bombers dropped over a dozen 30,000-pound bunker busters on deeply buried nuclear sites., making it the most ambitious U.S. stealth airstrike in decades. The bombers had also been used in striking Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen. Air Marshall Greg Bagwell, former Royal Air Force deputy operations chief told BBC Verify in June: "You would be able to maintain a sustained operation from [Diego Garcia] far more efficiently. You could literally have them round the clock operating." Diego Garcia's assets remain well-positioned to respond swiftly should tensions in the Middle East or Indo-Pacific escalate, as a ceasefire between Israel and Iran remains fragile and U.S.-Iran diplomatic negotiations are stalled in post-conflict tensions. Related Articles Defense Department Worker Charged with Stealing Top-Secret DocumentsB-2 Strikes on Iran Expose Limits of Elon Musk's 'Drone Swarms'Photos Show US Air Force Training for Pacific WarIs Donald Trump Considering Tactical Nukes Against Iran? What We Know 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
