Every Friday, The Diplomat’s Harry Kazianis looks out across the net to find the best articles and analysis involving defense, strategic affairs, and foreign policy. From America’s pivot to Asia, China’s growing military power, important defense trends, to the various territorial spats across the region, The Diplomat has you covered with what you need to know going into the weekend.
Here is our top five this Friday. Have we missed something you think should be included? Want to share an important article with other readers? Please submit your links in the comment box below! Happy Friday!
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: Simply A Phenomenal Flying Machine – (Telegraph) – " Last week Con Coughlin became the first British journalist to see a British pilot conduct a perfect test landing of Britain's new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Here he describes an aircraft that is set to become one of Britain’s leading strike fighters for the next generation."
The Technology China Wants in Order to Catch Up With Western Militaries– (Foreign Policy) – "The Pentagon's latest report on the capabilities of the Chinese military mentions an important aspect to its buildup: China's efforts to develop advanced technologies that have both civil and military use. This means that China is trying to acquire tech that can be used to drive modern aerospace, computing, and transportation industries — as well as 21st-century military equipment.
How does it get this information? Everything from outright cyber theft to old-fashioned espionage to legitimate business partnerships."
U.S. Carrier Group To Take Part in S. Korea Drills – (DefenseNews) – "A U.S. naval strike group led by the aircraft carrier Nimitz will arrive in South Korea this weekend for sea drills, officials said Friday, following joint exercises that infuriated North Korea.
In addition to the nuclear-powered Nimitz, the group includes three guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, the US military said in a statement, without specifying the total size of the group."
Navy: Ohio Replacement Negotiations 'Have Not Progressed' (USNI News) – "The Navy’s top acquisition official told the Senate Armed Services Committee Seapower Subcommittee that talks with the Defense Department “have not progressed” in putting the Ohio-class ballistic-missile replacement program into a special National Capital Ships Account."
Cyber Attacks a Growing Irritant in U.S.- China Ties – (Sydney Morning Herald) – "Signs are growing that the sustained surge in cyber attacks emanating from China is straining its relations with the US, lending urgency to fledgling efforts by both governments to engage on the issue."