ARTICLES

30 Nov 2022

Japan’s Counter-strike Missiles and Southeast Asia’s “Nuclear” Question

Yoichiro Sato

Japan is considering the deployment of non-nuclear counter-strike capabilities in the face of growing threats from North Korea and China. This might have a bearing on Southeast Asia.

3 Nov 2022

Defence Procurement in Malaysia: A Way Forward?

Sze Fung Ng

Malaysia has seen problems in its defence procurement in recent years. Once a new government is installed after the general election, it should follow through with reforms to improve transparency in the process of acquiring new military hardware.

Defence Malaysia

31 Oct 2022

The US-Philippine Alliance: Shared Interests and Subtle Nuances

Mico A Galang

The US National Security Strategy (NSS) identifies some shared interests between Washington and Manila. However, there are nuances in the strategic calculus of the allies when it comes to two key potential flashpoints in the region: Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Defence Philippine-U.S. Relations South China Sea

28 Jun 2022

ASEAN and ADMM: Climbing Out of a Deep Hole

Joanne Lin

The ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting has bagged modest achievements in past years. But it will take a lot more to assert ASEAN’s central role in a region where external powers have grabbed the initiative in forming minilaterals outside the ASEAN ecosystem.

ASEAN Defence Indo-Pacfic

13 Jun 2022

Shangri-La Dialogue 2022: The Paradox of Peace and Power

Hoang Thi Ha

The duel between the ‘rule of law’ and the ‘right of might’ took centre-stage as the Shangri-La Dialogue resumed under the shadow of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Southeast Asian countries found it a hard sell to promote cooperative security and ASEAN’s broad-based mechanisms against tough talk by representatives of the major powers.

Defence Indo-Pacfic International Relations Security

7 Jun 2022

Scaling the Shangri-La Dialogue

James Crabtree

In this episode, William Choong, managing editor of Fulcrum, talks to James Crabtree, executive director of International Institute for Strategic Studies (Asia), the London-headquartered think tank which runs the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

China Defence Dialogues at Fulcrum Diplomacy Indo-Pacfic U.S. Foreign Policy

6 May 2022

The Russia-Ukraine War and its Potential Impact on Russia’s Arms Sales to Southeast Asia

Ian Storey

Russia has been the largest exporter of arms to Southeast Asia over the past two decades but the value of its defence sales to the region has fallen sharply since its annexation of Crimea in 2014. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will only exacerbate this downward trend.

Armed Conflict Defence Russia Security Ukraine

4 Mar 2022

Advancing U.S. Security Commitments to Southeast Asia Under Biden

Prashanth Parameswaran

Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine would accentuate concerns about Washington's security commitments to Southeast Asia. To gain further traction, Washington needs to invest in individual Southeast Asia countries and expand defence partnerships with allies and partners.

ASEAN-U.S. Relations Defence Maritime Security Security South China Sea

15 Feb 2022

Fall of Singapore 80 Years On: Lessons Transcend Time and Place

Euan Graham

The local lessons from the dramatic defeat of British and Commonwealth forces at the hands of the Japanese in 1942 have been well learned and internalised. Eighty years on, there are still wider lessons to be gleaned that transcend time and place.

Defence Japan Singapore U.K.

14 Feb 2022

Will America Greenlight the Sale of F-35s to Thailand?

Ian Storey

The chief of Thailand’s air force wants to buy eight American-built F-35 fighter jets. While the sale would be a shot in the arm for the US-Thailand alliance, Washington may be reluctant to approve the sale because of Thailand’s growing military ties with China.

Defence Security Thai Military Thailand U.S.-Thailand Relations