Author: Pedro Holt

Lawmakers in the Riksdag voted largely in favour of Sweden joining NATO despite Green and far-left opposition on Wednesday, with Foreign Minister Tobias Billström now saying he expects his country to officially join in July. After a six-hour-long debate, parliament approved Sweden’s NATO future membership with 269 in favour and 37 against – marking the official end to Sweden’s 200 years of non-alignment in foreign policy. For Sweden to officially join, Turkish and Hungarian approval is still needed. “It goes without saying that we will be able to join in Vilnius,” said Billström about the NATO summit on 11-12 July…

Washington, Beijing (15/2 – 37.5) Amid an international atmosphere still full of uncertainties as well as tensions, US fighter aircraft shot down the balloon flying over Billing, Maine. According to the US Department of State, the spy balloon contained multiple antennas capable of gathering intelligence signals from the superpowers. “From the photographs taken, it is confirmed the presence of an antenna package capable of collecting data and tracking communications,” the US government said, quoted by CNBC International, Thursday (10/2/2023). “There are solar panels large enough to produce power so that various sensors to gather intelligence can operate.” US notified China…

Sumitomo Electric will step up its vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) business in the US, with plans to invest in local production and installation capabilities. The Japanese company said last week that it will invest an initial US$7.6 million into US production and installation facilities, based on the expectation of rising demand for the energy storage technology. Speaking at the DISTRIBUTECH International trade event for the electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) sectors, Sumitomo Electric president and chief operating officer Osamu Inoue noted that the company has been present in the US for the past 50 years of the company’s 120+…

A big aid package is expected this week, but it likely won’t contain long-sought, controversial items like ATACMS. In the weeks ahead, frontline progress in the war in Ukraine will be measured not in miles but in “hundreds of meters,” defense undersecretary for policy Colin Kahl told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday. Kahl, who just returned from a trip to Ukraine for meetings with that nation’s leadership, said the United States is focused on “surging those capabilities to Ukraine for the next phase of the conflict to really try to change that dynamic and continue the momentum that the…

Last month, the U.S. House and Senate swore in new members and began the 117th Congress. The biggest change, of course, is that Republicans now hold a small margin in the House of Representatives. Nancy Pelosi, the senior House Democrat, stepped down from her role as Speaker and was replaced by Republican Kevin McCarthy. The Senate will not change hands, since the three Independent Senators will caucus with 48 Democrats, allowing them to retain control of the chamber. What will this mean for Southeast Asia? The good news is that U.S. support for deeper regional engagement is remarkably bipartisan. As…

A US Air Force general has warned of the likelihood of a war with China saying: “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.” Mike Minihan’s chilling memo spoke of a confluence of events for it — the US and Taiwan distracted by the 2004 presidential elections — giving China’s President Xi Jinping a chance to move on the long-coveted island nation. Add to that, Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is based on claims not too different from China’s on Taiwan, an outcome Beijing is closely watching. Although the Pentagon disowned the prediction, Taiwan is…

Following the release of the Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, the United States, in coordination with allies and partners, has taken historic strides to advance our common vision for an Indo-Pacific region that is free and open, connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient. The United States continues to demonstrate leadership and commitment to the Indo-Pacific, reinforcing the region’s capacity and resilience to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century and showing that we can build a better future together. In the past year, the United States has worked closely with like-minded allies and partners to: Select achievements the Administration…

Australia should be clear and open about its activities in AUKUS, its defense alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told her counterpart Penny Wong in Canberra on Thursday. Accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles, the ministers met at the 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministers’ Meeting to address increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, a point of concern Retno said must be dealt with using cooperation instead of secrecy. “Indonesia reiterated the importance of AUKUS transparency and the commitment [to stop] nuclear proliferation, as well as adherence to…

AUKUS is a trilateral security pact announced on 15 September 2021 between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for the Indo-Pacific region. The pact aims to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, and also includes cooperation on advanced technologies such as cyber, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies, among others. In 2016, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signed a A$50 billion deal with Naval Group (formerly known as DCNS) to develop a new generation of submarines, called the Attack class, which would replace the Collins class submarines. The design of the Attack class was based on the French Barracuda…

Australia should know whether or not its nuclear submarine ambitions will be realized late next month. The program is the cornerstone of the AUKUS security pact that groups Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, unveiled in September 2021. Since then only one of those who signed the pact remains in power, US President Joe Biden. Scott Morrison, as prime minister of Australia, lost power in an election last May, and his British counterpart Boris Johnson quit in July. Since September 2021 the three countries have had a working party looking into the feasibility of the submarine project and…