Trump isn't the ally - the United States is.
He was elected - twice!

Trump waters down criticism of UK’s Chagos Islands deal after call with Starmer US president says deal, which he previously described as act of ‘great stupidity’, was ‘best’ PM could make

“I understand that the deal Prime Minister Starmer has made, according to many, the best he could make.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Beijing’s Bid for High Seas Treaty Secretariat Tests ASEAN Faith in Maritime Rules PHNOM PENH — As China moves to anchor the world’s newest ocean treaty on its own coastline, Southeast Asia is asking an old question with renewed...

'Beijing’s bid to host the secretariat of High Seas Treaty has brought ASEAN’s long-standing maritime anxieties back into focus, raising doubts about whether stewardship of the global commons can be separated from tensions in the South China Sea and.. the Arctic.'
cambodianess.com/article/beij...

New issue of @bluesecprogram.bsky.social Maritime Affairs by Su Wai Mon and Vu Hai Dang on cybersecurity at Southeast Asia's ports.

'But since late last year, some Japanese officials have been discreetly urging [fisherman] Nakama and his peers to steer clear of the remote outcrops - known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China - to avoid escalating a diplomatic clash with Beijing'.

Testing the waters: is Brics evolving into a security alliance? The first naval exercises under the ‘Brics plus’ banner saw Brazil, Egypt, China, Russia and South Africa take part. India did not.

I'm quoted in SCMP, thanks Maria Siow for the opportunity to comment.
'The Will for Peace exercise should not be read as Brics abandoning its economic agenda altogether, according to Troy Lee-Brown, a research fellow at UWA’s Defence and Security Institute.'
www.scmp.com/week-asia/po...

India and US 'actively engaged' in trade negotiations, says new ambassador Sergio Gor tells reporters in Delhi "real friends can disagree but will always resolve differences".

On Monday, [Gor] was formally welcomed as the ambassador at an event in Delhi...Classic American songs filled the room - a playlist.. personally chosen by the ambassador - ranging from Hello by Lionel Richie to YMCA by Village People and Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.'
www.bbc.com/news/article...

It wasn't her estranged hubby (invited but didn't attend) it was her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, Gail's sister Heather, and Heather's husband Ian.

Add this great new Maritime Affairs issue to your summer reading list by Thu Nguyen Hoang Anh.

Great new issue of Maritime Affairs!!

Marine chief to discuss regional security with Thai, Indonesian, Philippine counterparts South Korea's Marine Corps Commandant Ju Il-suk will meet with his counterparts from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines on Tuesday to discuss ways to stren

'South Korea's Marine Corps Commandant Ju Il-suk will meet with his counterparts from Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines on Tuesday to discuss ways to strengthen security in the region and expand military cooperation with the nations.'
www.koreaherald.com/article/1059...

'Unprofessional' Chinese fighter jet incident raised with Beijing: Marles Defence Minister Richard Marles says the incident was "unsafe and unprofessional" and the government has made representations to China.

‘Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Australian P-8 surveillance plane was conducting a routine patrol over the South China Sea when it was approached by a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Su-35 fighter jet that released flares two of them "very close" to the P8.’

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

India Secures Defense Presence on Chagos Islands India has secured agreement from the government of Mauritius allowing it to establish a satellite station in the Chagos archipelago, according to rep...

'India has secured agreement from govt of Mauritius allowing it to establish a satellite station in Chagos archipelago'.
This follows on from an agreement made in September to allow Indian naval vessels to conduct hydrographic surveys of the archipelago.
www.maritime-executive.com/article/indi...

Why Australia Is Buying Up AH-64E Apache Attack Helicopters Australia’s Apache purchase deepens the US-Australia industrial and defense relationship—while underwriting Canberra’s credentials as a serious defense industrial actor in the Indo-Pacific.

'Apaches can project lethal vertical firepower forward to deny adversaries freedom of movement, to support marine and amphibious insertions, protect key bases and lines of communication, and respond rapidly to challenges in remote areas.'
nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/wh...

Australia’s northern air bases: building resilience, slowly | The Strategist Australia’s northern air bases are vital to national defence, yet improving their resilience remains a work in progress. And the progress is incremental. This isn’t a new task. The 2023 Defence Strate...

I write for ASPI on improving the resilience of Australia's network of northern airbases.
"Geography dictates the importance of an effective northern base network. Time, however, is the critical factor and Australia cannot afford further delay."
www.aspistrategist.org.au/australias-n...

Space Force declares ATLAS space domain awareness software 'operational' - Breaking Defense "[O]n the ops floor, [ATLAS is] generating a catalog — it's publishing data to Space-track.org They're using that as a primary system," Space Systems Command's Shannon Pallone said in an exclusive int...

"ATLAS’s operational acceptance is a first step to improving the Space Force’s ability to detect, track, and characterize objects in space in a precise enough way to allow persistent “eyes” on adversary satellites."

breakingdefense.com/2025/09/spac...

Indian Navy demonstrates global submarine rescue capability at Exercise Pacific Reach The Indian Navy's Submarine Rescue Unit (East), embarked on INS Nistar, showcased precision and professionalism at XPR-25, hosted by Singapore Navy (RSN), the Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday.

INS Nistar already contributing to regional deep sea S&R in Southeast Asia just a couple of months after she was commissioned. With the proliferation of manned underwater assets in the region, the ability to conduct rescues quickly & safely is paramount.
economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence...

Build-up in the Bay, the Andamans shuffle, and the region’s maritime makeover Except for the time of the mercantile militarists of various European countries that swamped the region in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Bay of Bengal has perhaps never been in as sweet a geopoliti...

Good outline of some of the strategic maneuvering by regional and extra-regional powers in Bay of Bengal.
www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-e...

The announcement of a shipbuilding plan by India designed for both commercial and strategic purposes and working alongside trusted partners. This is a smart move by India designed to increase strategic self-reliance over maritime transport and therefore trade.

An Australian Indian Ocean agenda to 2035 As the Indian Ocean grows central to Australia’s security, this report sets out a roadmap for a cohesive strategy that balances ambition with resources.

A comprehensive new United States Studies Centre report outlining a number of principles to drive diplomatic, economic and security engagement over the next decade in the Indian Ocean by Peter Dean and Alice Nason.
www.ussc.edu.au/an-australia...

Aukus faces an ‘America first’ review. Will Trump’s agenda scupper the deal? Australia’s huge financial commitment to the Aukus pact may work in its favour, but Trump’s deal-making approach means anything is possible.

I'm quoted in the @scmpnews.bsky.social:
“The broader strategic logic of reinforcing allied undersea capability in the Indo-Pacific remains compelling enough to outweigh the Trump administration’s protectionist impulses”.
www.scmp.com/week-asia/ec...

Plastic pellets and maritime security Throughout history, Sri Lanka’s coastline has been protected from storms, pirates, and oil spills. But in recent years, a new and silent threat has emerged

Plastic pellets and maritime security
www.themorning.lk/articles/E3c...

Japan’s $300 Million Undersea Cable Gamble: Inside the Global Race to Secure the Internet’s Lifelines Japan’s $300 Million Undersea Cable Gamble: Inside the Global Race to Secure the Internet’s Lifelines - Tech Space 2.0

Japan's NEC to maintain a fleet of specialised cable ships much like SubCom (US), ASN (France), and HMN Tech (China) already do.
ts2.tech/en/japans-30...

Ghost Fleet, Ten Years Later: An Interview with P.W. Singer and August Cole This exclusive Cogs of War interview is with P.W. Singer and August Cole, who in 2015 published Ghost Fleet, a futuristic thriller depicting the next

These authors reflect on their war techno-thriller that imagined the future fight — and then watched much of it come true.

First Australian Defence Industry Trade Mission To Visit India On Oct 6 The Australian defence industry trade delegation will include companies in the field of cyber defence, intelligence, and reconnaissance. India and Australia are top-tier security partners.

Australian defence industry trade mission to India from Oct 6-10 much along the lines of India's def industry delegation to Land Forces in 2024. Maritime security central to the partnership. India to have a bigger presence at the 2027 Talisman Sabre: anon ADF spox.
news.abplive.com/india-at-204...

Read it here: archive.md/nMgLg#select...

U.S. targets China's grip on global ports in sweeping maritime mission The drive is part of the most ambitious effort to expand U.S. maritime influence since the 1970s and is designed to address growing fears in Washington that it would be at a disadvantage to China in the event of a conflict.

'US President Donald Trump's administration is on a mission to weaken China's global network of ports and bring more strategic terminals under Western control'.
According to 3 sources familiar with the plan, but article does compile numerous WH efforts in this sector.
www.reuters.com/world/china/...

Beyond a Trade Deal: the India-UK Strategic Partnership With the signing of the latest economic deal, India and the UK should either elevate their existing security arrangements or explore avenues to enhance the trajectory of their defence relations.

Advocates for an Indian Ocean trilateral or a Quad including India, UK, France & increased UK-India collaboration on MDA in the IOR.
www.rusi.org/explore-our-...

Slam poetry from the US Sec of War.

A new issue of Maritime affairs from the @bluesecprogram.bsky.social by @prakashg.bsky.social and Lucky Wuwung who argue that that regional blue economy aspirations are deeply intertwined with geopolitical realities.