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Malaysia urged to follow Philippines’ lead and get tougher with Beijing over South China Sea claims
Malaysia should take a more proactive approach to defending its rights in the South China Sea, an American expert on China who has advised the Pentagon warned – urging the Southeast Asian nation to reject Beijing’s “excessive claims” over the disputed waters and protect its own long-term strategic goals.
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Malaysia must continue to reject China’s claim on South China Sea, says expert
Maritime expert Toshi Yoshihara warns that accommodating the superpower may later come with a heavy price.
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Decision on recovery of Navy Super Hornet from sea could hinge on presence of upgrades
Obtaining such advanced technology could enable the Russians or the Chinese to “learn a good deal, both about countering specific U.S. capabilities and perhaps learning things they could develop and employ in their own aircraft,” said Jan van Tol, a retired Navy officer and senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based think tank Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
While not as sophisticated as the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter, Super Hornets are “4.5-generation fighters, which means they would have some pretty sophisticated systems that the Russians or Chinese would be happy to get hold of,” van Tol said.
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Is America Growing Weary of the Long War in Ukraine?
Mr Trump still holds much of the party in thrall. He denounced the recent aid for Ukraine, saying: “The Democrats are sending another $40bn to Ukraine, yet America’s parents are struggling to even feed their children.” His base might be energised if, in coming weeks, he announces he will run for president again in 2024. “Fact is if the Republicans take over the House in 2022 us support to Ukraine will come to a halt,” tweeted Ruben Gallego, a House Democrat. Republican leaders, he predicted, would not be able to stop Trumpists like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz “from dictating our Ukraine policy”. Mr Gaetz shot back: “Ruben is correct.”
Such boasting amounts to “wish-casting”, says Eric Edelman, a former Pentagon official under George W. Bush. maga disciples are still a minority among congressional Republicans. Still, he frets, they could grow larger after the elections. If they make up a bigger share of Republicans in the House—where spending bills originate—and particularly if they hold the balance of power, it will become harder to provide more aid to Ukraine. Few expect the fickle Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House leader, to resist the Trumpian right, even though he has praised Mr Zelensky as “a modern-day Winston Churchill”. Pressure will increase on the Senate (whether controlled by Democrats or Mr McConnell’s Republicans) to tame the excesses of maga-world. The matter of Ukraine, says Mr Edelman, is part of “the larger battle for the soul of the Republican Party”.
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How a Thaw with Turkey Could Help Ukraine Win the War
At this week’s NATO summit, President Biden met for the first time in a year with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, setting aside his long-standing issues with the Turkish leader. But Turkey continues to play both sides of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. If the United States is now willing to deal with Ankara, the next deal should center on persuading Erdogan to side with the West on Ukraine.
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Last year, CSBA Said the Army Could Afford Both FVL Variants. What’s Changed Since Then?
The question of whether the Defense Department or the primes should own all the data rights to various elements of the FVL program is a simplistic, false choice, says a CSBA senior fellow.