Belarus begins military drills for nuclear weapons use. Global COVID-19 cases exceed 574,000 daily, with 8,726 fatalities. Russia provides $1 billion to Palestine. US and Iran to sign a virtual memorandum on Sunday regarding the Strait of Hormuz and nuclear program.
India and France, partners since 1998, are enhancing their strategic alliance with a strong focus on defense and space. Recent agreements include a renewed 10-year defense cooperation, reciprocal officer deployments, and technology transfer for Rafale-M aircraft, signaling deeper institutional integration and industrial collaboration.
A Chinese analyst warns that the US deployment of the Typhon missile system to southern Japan could threaten China's coastal cities and block vital maritime passages. The missile launcher is expected to be positioned at Kanoya Airbase in Kagoshima prefecture.
The US Embassy announced a military exercise aimed at ensuring rapid response capabilities, following a plan proposed by President Donald Trump after the US arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. US officials reported that General Francis Donovan, commander of the US Southern Command, arrived in Caracas to meet with interim government officials.
Nato conducted a war game in a secret Charing Cross bunker simulating a 2030 Russian invasion of Estonia. The exercise highlighted the British army's drone shortage and the need for AI-driven defense systems, aiming to influence Ministry of Defence funding.
Over 600 military personnel from multiple countries are searching for two U.S. soldiers who went missing in Morocco during U.S.-African military exercises
The US Army on Tuesday shot a Tomahawk missile from its Typhon Mid-Range Capability launcher system in the Philippines during a military exercise, marking the first time it has fired such a weapon since the system’s arrival in the country two years ago, which drew a rebuke from China. Built by Lockheed Martin, the Typhon system had been flown 13,000km (8,000 miles) from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state to Luzon in the Philippines as part of a military exercise called Salaknib and...
Two U.S. service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.
Two U.S. service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in annual multinational military exercises in the North African country, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) said.
Two US Army soldiers have gone missing in southwestern Morocco while on a recreational hike after participating in the annual African Lion military exercises. A joint search and rescue operation involving the United States, Morocco, and other partner nations is underway in mountainous desert terrain near Tan Tan.
Two US Army soldiers are missing in southwestern Morocco after disappearing during a recreational hike following the conclusion of the African Lion annual multinational military exercises. The incident occurred Saturday around 9pm near Cap Draa Training Area close to Tan Tan. US, Moroccan and other participating forces have launched a joint search and rescue operation involving helicopters, ships, mountain rescue units and divers.
A search and rescue operation is underway for the service members who went missing in mountainous terrain.
NATO's Amber Shock military exercise kicked off in northeastern Poland on May 2 with over 3,500 troops from various NATO countries and several hundred pieces of equipment. The US Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment stationed in Germany is also participating. Live-fire drills are scheduled for May 7. The broader Sword 26 exercise involves about 15,000 troops across Baltic nations, Poland, Sweden, Norway and Finland.
Two U.S. service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in the annual African Lion military exercises, U.S. Africa Command said Sunday. The incident occurred May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area near Tan Tan, close to the Atlantic Ocean. A search and rescue operation has been launched involving the U.S., Morocco and other participating nations. African Lion 2025 involves over 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations across four host countries and is scheduled to end in early May.
India and Russia signed the Reciprocal Exchange of Logistics Agreement (RELOS) in February 2025, enabling two-way access to airbases and ports for military exercises, training and humanitarian missions. The pact, ratified in December and effective since January, allows up to five warships, 10 aircraft and 3,000 troops to be simultaneously stationed in the partner country for five years, extendable to 10 years. It is expected to strengthen cooperation in servicing India's Russian-origin military equipment and could extend India's strategic reach to the Arctic region.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya condemned French-Polish joint air force exercises as highly provocative, noting they involve Rafale fighter jets practicing simulated nuclear strikes on Russian territory. The drills are scheduled over the Baltic Sea and northern Poland. Nebenzya also criticized France's president for announcing plans to expand France's nuclear arsenal.
Dmitry Polyansky noted that Paris and Warsaw are preparing joint bilateral military exercises involving the procedure of carrying out nuclear strikes
Analysis warns that the Indo-Pacific is drifting into a security logic where deterrence multiplies rather than contains risk. The Balikatan 2026 exercise involving 17,000+ personnel from seven nations, with Japan participating as active combat partner for the first time, exemplifies this drift. Japan's transit of the destroyer JS Ikazuchi through the Taiwan Strait on the anniversary of the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki provoked strong Chinese condemnation, illustrating how every defensive move invites a countermove.
The Philippines has emerged as the clearest example of what observers say is Japan’s shift towards a more active defence role abroad, with both countries deepening their military cooperation in areas ranging from joint drills to technological partnerships. Japanese forces are taking part for the first time in this year’s Balikatan military exercises hosted by the Philippines, while bilateral cooperation is set to expand after Tokyo eased its defence export rules on Tuesday. These activities...
China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship Sichuan has set sail from Shanghai for sea trials in the South China Sea, the PLA Navy announced. The vessel, viewed as a key asset for potential Taiwan operations, will test multiple on-board systems. The trials occur in the same waters where the US, Philippines and Japan are conducting large-scale joint military exercises, and where the aircraft carrier Liaoning is also heading after transiting the Taiwan Strait.
China’s next-generation “drone-carrier” amphibious assault ship is en route to the South China Sea for critical sea trials, China’s military announced Tuesday, in the same waters where the US, the Philippines and Japan are conducting large-scale joint military exercises and the aircraft carrier Liaoning is apparently sailing to. “The Sichuan, our country’s first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, has set sail from Shanghai for relevant waters in the South China Sea to carry out scientific...
Troops from the US, Philippines, Australia and Japan unite for the biggest military exercise in "real-world conditions" to ensure security in the Indo-Pacific region. But China has criticised the drill.
China warned the US, Philippines, and their military allies that conducting joint exercises in the Asia-Pacific region puts them in danger. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Guo Jiakun said unilateral actions and military intimidation have brought disasters to the world, and that the region needs peace rather than external forces provoking division. Over 17,000 military personnel from the US, Japan, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and France began joint Balikatan exercises in the Philippines on Monday.
China issued a “strong protest” after a Japanese destroyer, travelling to military exercises in the Philippines, passed through the Taiwan Strait on the anniversary of an 1895 treaty ceding the island to Japan. Friday’s voyage was a “deliberate provocation”, said Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. The 14-hour passage by the JS Ikazuchi “once again exposes the dangerous plot of some people in Japan to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait and undermine peace and stability...
