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Lengthening Chinese Airstrips May Pave Way for South China Sea ADIZ ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Andrew S. Erickson)

Image credits- Janes Defence  Source- The National Interest Author- Andrew S. Erickson Never underestimate Chinese engineering. First the Great Wall, then the Grand Canal, and now the Great Wall of Sand. China is rapidly augmenting features in the South China Sea (SCS) on industrial scale—hundreds of acres (more than 4 square km)—that even its neighbors combined cannot match. “Features,” is the key word here, because many were previously small rocks or reefs not legally considered “islands.” Then China used some of the world’s largest dredgers to build up some of the most pristine coral reefs above water with hundreds of tons of sand, coral cuttings, and concrete. U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Harry Harris aptly terms China’s creation a “Great Wall of Sand.” But it’s what China is constructing atop its reclamation that most concerns its neighbors and the United States: militarily relevant facilities, including runways that could allow Beijing to exert incre

In Nepal Earthquake's Aftermath, India and China Respond ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ankit Panda)

Indian relief work in Nepal ( Image credits- Flickr / MEA Official photo gallery, Government of India) Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda As Nepal continues to wrangle with the immediate aftermath of a devastating magnitude 8.1 earthquake that took place on Saturday and has claimed nearly 2,500 lives, its two large neighbors—India and China—are sending assistance to stave off a broader humanitarian crisis in the country. Nepal, though a small country, is of strategic significance for both New Delhi and Beijing. On Sunday, China sent a 62-member International Search and Rescue team to Nepal to assist in the humanitarian relief effort following the earthquake. According to Xinhua, the team includes “6 sniffer dogs and relevant rescue and medical equipment.” 40 members of the rescue team are from the 38th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army. China President Xi Jinxing expressed his condolences to Nepalese President Ram Baran Yada on Saturday, noting that

5 Most Deadly Warships of the 20th Century ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Robert Farley)

USS Iowa Battle ship  ( Image source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Navy by PH1 Jeff Hilton) Source- The National Interest Author- Robert Farley The idea of a ship class, a series of vessels constructed to essentially the same design, is a hallmark of the industrial age of naval warfare.  Prior to the emergence of the industrial age, individual ships represented the craftsmanship of different yards, and the relationship between design and construction allowed specific builders a great deal of latitude.  As the industrial revolution overtook naval architecture, it became easier to create a specific template for the construction of a series of ships that would have effectively the same capabilities, regardless of which shipyard they emerged from or what time they entered service. This article focuses on five of the most lethal classes of warship to sail the seas.  The list concentrates on the first half of the 20th century, a period which saw the two most de

Revealed: Russia’s Deadly New Tank Force ( Source- The Diplomat / Author-Franz Stefan- Gady)

T-14 Russian MBT ( Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- Vitaly V. Kuzmin) Source- The Diplomat Author- Franz Stefan- Gady The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has for the first time officially revealed the Russian Ground Forces’ most advanced armored fighting vehicles, including a brand new main-battle tank, self-propelled artillery, and new armored personnel carrier, ahead of the May 9 Moscow Victory Day Parade (see: “‘Arma Virumque Cano’ – Parades and Militarism in Asia”). It is important to not that the recently published photos on the Russian MoD’s website revealed prospective military hardware not yet commissioned into the Russian Armed Forces. Additionally, the vehicles displayed on the images have all their their weapon systems covered, which makes the initial analysis of the equipment highly speculative. “During the May 9 parade in Blagoveshchensk we will be showcasing for the first time the latest types of arms and military hardware the Eastern Military

China's South China Sea Disaster ( Source- The National Interest / Author- Joshua Kurlanzink)

Image credits- Reuters Source- The National Interest Author- Joshua Kurlanzink Until the past five years, the Philippines and Vietnam had minimal strategic ties other than working together, through ASEAN initiatives, on a range of nontraditional security issues. The two countries had very different styles of leadership—the Philippines is a vibrant democracy with one of the freest media markets in the world, while Vietnam remains run by a highly opaque Party—and Hanoi remained wary of diverging from its strategy of hedging close ties with China with increasingly close relations with the United States. By contrast, the Philippines, despite a very mixed historical relationship with the United States, was (and is) a U.S. treaty ally and one of Washington’s closest partners in Southeast Asia. Vietnam and the Philippines did not hold joint military exercises, rarely had high-level bilateral interactions between senior political and military leaders, and also had only modest t

CHINA – PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR: CHANGING DYNAMICS OF SOUTHERN ASIA – ANALYSIS (SOURCE- EURASIA REVIEW / AUTHOR- BRIGADIER ARUN SAHGAL RETD)

Image credits- Xinhua Source- Eurasia review Author- Brigadier Arun Sahgal (Retd) The strategic landscape in Southern Asia is witnessing three major strategic shifts; most important from Indian point of view is the unveiling of China – Pakistan economic corridor linking landlocked Xinjiang region of China to the warm waters of Arabian Sea and further to Middle East, Europe and East Coast of Africa. In many sense it is game changer with long term strategic consequences for the region in general and India in particular. Second is the prospect of Iran’s integration with international community as a normal nation a process that has already begun. This has made number of regional actors most predominant being China and Russia and to limited extent even Pakistan initiate serious commercial and security dialogue, given the possibility of opening number of geopolitical and economic opportunities. A third element is the growing Eastern orientation of Russia and the emergin