Dzirhan Mahadzir

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force carried out 358 scrambles in six months, a decrease of 66 scrambles compared to the same period last year, according to a Thursday report by Japan’s Joint Staff Office. The nearly 360 scrambled happening from Apr. 1 to September 30, which marks the first half of Japan’s Fiscal Year 2024 period – Japan’s fiscal year spans from April 1 to March 31. Japan saw two airspace violations, according to the report, one each by Russia and China for the first half of FY 2024. Last year, in FY 2023, a Russian helicopter crossed over territorial

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Michael Garcia, an amphibious assault vehicle crewmember assigned to Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, reunites with his child and wife aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California Oct. 16, 2024. US Marine Corps Photo

The first F-35B Lightning II landed on Japanese big-deck JS Kaga (DDH-184) on Sunday off California. Meanwhile, the U.S Navy and Royal Canadian Navy on Sunday conducted a joint transit of the Taiwan Strait while a Chinese bomber on the same day carried out flight circuits over the waters south of Japan’s Yaeyama Islands and east of Taiwan. On Monday, the JMSDF posted on its X social media account Kaga had held the first landing of the F-35B. “We are conducting tests with support from U.S. Navy and USMC to collect the necessary data for F-35B operations on the Izumo-class

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) conducted a second set of drills with the Italian carrier ITS Cavour (CVH-550), this time in U.S. Central Command on Friday. Meanwhile, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is in the North Sea and conducting drills with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), will soon conduct joint drills with the Royal Navy’s Prince of Wales Carrier Struke Group, formally known as the U.K. Carrier Strike Group and the Norwegian Armed Forces. On Friday, in Lincoln sailed with Cavour which is on its way back to Italy after a deployment in the Indo-Pacific. The two strike groups had

People’s Liberation Army Navy Dongdiao class surveillance ships have sailed past Japan this week into the Philippine Sea according to Japan Joint Staff Office releases. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense reported that the Chinese Liaoning Carrier Strike Group has sailed north through the Taiwan Strait. In other developments, the U.S. and Australia carried out joint naval drills in the Strait of Malacca while Russia wrapped up naval drills with Myanmar on Thursday. The Dongdiao-class surveillance ship Tianshuxing (795) was sighted sailing east in an area 62 miles west of the island of Amami Oshima before sailing into

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) sails with Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) during the NATO-led maritime vigilance activity Neptune Strike 24-2, Oct. 24, 2024. US Navy Photo

Two People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carriers exercised together for the first time in the South China Sea, the People’s Liberation Army reported. According to photos released by the PLA, Carriers CNS Liaoning (16) and CNS Shandong (17) drilled together, leading the formation with 12 carrier-based J-15 fighters flying overhead and 11 PLAN surface ships. In a Thursday press conference, Snr. Col. Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, stated that the dual-carrier drill was a part of the PLAN’s annual training plan and aimed at enhancing the combat capability of the PLAN’s carrier strike groups (CSGs). Although

The Shandong Carrier Strike Group underway in the Philippine Sea on Nov. 4, 2024. JSDF Image

On Monday night, the People’s Liberation Army Navy aircraft carrier CNS Shandong (17) sailed out of the Philippine Sea back into the South China Sea, Japan’s Joint Staff Office (JSO) announced on Tuesday. Additionally, U.S. carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) is set to arrive at its new Japanese homeport later this month, according to Japanese officials.

Russia and China conducted a joint bomber flight over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea on Friday, causing Japan and South Korea to launch fighter aircraft in response.