Title:

 'Alphabet soup' of Navy missions dots Indian Ocean

Author:

Sujan Dutta

Source:

The Indian Express

Date:

April 1, 2018

Description:

NEW DELHI: Ten months since it re-oriented the mission pattern of its fleet, the navy has told the government it has the Indian Ocean covered with an alphabet soup of acronyms. GULFDEP to MALDEP is the new naval lingo to describe the Indian Navy’s area of responsibility.

Title:

 China Talks Tough on Trade War, Warns U.S. of Countermeasures

Author:

Bloomberg News

Source:

Bloomberg News

Date:

 March 24, 2018

Description:

Chinese officials and state media said the country will defend itself in a trade war, warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff plans could backfire on the United States. Vice Premier Liu He told U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a phone call that Washington’s investigation into alleged Chinese infringement of U.S. intellectual property violates international rules and will harm the interests of both countries, the official Xinhua News reported on Saturday.

Title:

 Rex Tillerson sacked: the swamp was winning

Author:

Daniel Flitton

Source:

The Interpreter

Date:

March 14, 2018 

Description:

We’ll get to the consequences of Rex Tillerson’s sacking in a moment, but first consider his brief tenure as America’s chief diplomat. Mostly Tillerson will be remembered (lamented) for presiding over savage cuts to the State Department. Certainly there was damage – no one ever really likes a budget cut. But the prominence of this complaint overshadows another, more practical view of the Tillerson tenure; that the State Department actually was able to get on with its job. The swamp was winning.

Title:

 U.S. aircraft carrier and MSDF helicopter destroyer conduct joint exercises in disputed South China Sea

Author:

JESSE JOHNSON

Source:

The Japan Times

Date:

March 13, 2018

Description:

The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group has kicked off bilateral exercises with the Maritime Self-Defense Force, including one of the largest vessels in Japan’s fleet, in the disputed South China Sea, the U.S. Navy said Tuesday.

Title:

 France’s Indo-Pacific Role in the Spotlight with Frigate Philippines Visit 

Author:

Prashanth Parameswaran

Source:

The Diplomat

Date:

 March 12, 2018

Description:

This week, a French frigate is on a goodwill visit to the Philippines as part of a broader swing through a series of Asian states. The interaction is one of a series in the past week that has put the spotlight on both France’s growing defense relationship with the Philippines as well as its role as a power in the Indo-Pacific.

Title:

 ASEAN-China joint maritime drills in the works

Author:

Bea Cupin

Source:

Rappler

Date:

March 7, 2018

Description:

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine defense chief Delfin Lorenzana said on Wednesday, March 7, that a possible joint maritime exercise between Southeast Asian countries and China won’t be happening within 2018 since the region’s top defense officials have yet to iron out its possible details.

Title:

 U.S. Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Vietnam, With a Message for China

Author:

HANNAH BEECH

Source:

The New York Times

Date:

March 4, 2018

Description:

BANGKOK — For the first time since the end of the Vietnam War, a United States aircraft carrier made a port call in Vietnam on Monday, signaling how China’s rise is bringing together former foes in a significant shift in the region’s geopolitical landscape.

Title:

 China issues war alert to Taiwan over US Bill

Author:

Reuters

Source:

Straits Times

Date:

 March 3, 2018

Description:

BEIJING/TAIPEI • China warned Taiwan yesterday that it would only get burned if it sought to rely on foreigners, adding to warnings from state media that China could go to war over the territory if the United States passes into law a Bill promoting closer US ties with the self-ruled island. The legislation, which needs only President Donald Trump's signature to become law, says it should be US policy to allow officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, and permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the US "under respectful conditions" and meet US officials.