Taiwan’s security is not solely a military challenge; it is a national imperative that demands whole-of-society engagement. This article argues that Taiwan must leverage its strengths as a technologically advanced and highly networked society to modernize its defense doctrine and strengthen
This article examines Australia’s 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS) within the context of evolving regional dynamics and global strategic competition. Emphasizing deterrence by denial, the NDS prioritizes capabilities aimed at thwarting aggression and safeguarding Australia’s
In the evolving strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s National Defence Strategy (NDS) emerges as a comprehensive framework to address the region’s increasing security challenges. The NDS leverages a whole-of-government approach, integrating all elements of national power
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Taiwan stands at the center of great-power rivalry, confronting an increasingly belligerent China while navigating a security relationship with the United States. Yet amid the drumbeat of the People’s Liberation Army’s territorial incursions and Washington’s strategic hedging,
Political warfare plays a central role in Chinese military operations. China is currently conducting a deliberate, multi-layered campaign designed to weaken Taiwan’s resolve and preempt US intervention. Through the “Three Warfares”—public opinion, psychological, and
Xi Jinping’s calculus on Taiwan is not guided by mere opportunism but by a structured assessment of strategic, political, and military realities—his metaphorical “dashboard.” This article dissects 13 key indicators shaping Beijing’s decision on whether and when to
Scholars have extensively analyzed Taiwan’s asymmetric defense strategies against a potential Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invasion. However, most studies focus either on pre-invasion deterrence or a post-invasion insurgency culminating in a US-led counteroffensive. This
China’s military build-up and its wolf warrior diplomacy are reshaping Australian foreign and defense policies. In response, Australia has conceived grand strategies of balancing and engagement and embraced a new defense approach. However, this rethinking has somewhat neglected airpower,
Throughout the twentieth century, Australia stood as a steadfast ally of the United States and other liberal democracies, actively engaging in major conflicts and bolstering the global liberal order. Since 2008, faced with China’s growing assertiveness, Australia has shifted from a supporting
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Taiwan remains a flashpoint for conflict in the Indo-Pacific, where the People’s Republic of China (PRC) actively employs cognitive warfare to reshape Taiwanese perceptions. Targeting media content, public opinion, and national identity, the PRC seeks to prepare the way for annexation—an
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In recent years, South Pacific leaders have advocated a “zone of peace” for the region, with their national security forces focusing on civil security to protect exclusive economic zones, conduct outreach, perform aeromedical evacuations, and deliver humanitarian aid. However, protecting
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China’s military incursions into Taiwan’s airspace and waters in early 2025 mark a shift from politically triggered responses to a sustained military presence. Despite the absence of major political flashpoints, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has intensified its air and naval
This article examines the strategic and operational challenges of defending Taiwan against China’s growing airpower threat. It analyzes the People’s Liberation Army’s capability to suppress US and allied air operations through massed missile strikes and superior force projection.
Over the past three years, Australia has shifted its foreign and defense policy in the Indo-Pacific region from a liberal engagement approach to a more ambitious neorealist stance, significantly increasing its interaction with the United States. Despite these changes, Australia remains economically
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Book Review: China’s World View: Demystifying China to Prevent Global Conflict, David Daokui Li. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2024, 278 pp. Reviewed by Vivek Thangam
Book Review: Indo-Pacific Strategies: Navigating Geopolitics at the Dawn of a New Age, ed. Brendon J. Cannon and Kei Hakata. New York: Routledge, 2021, 270 pp. Reviewed by Maj Gilberto “Gil” Sambolin Perez, USAF.
Book Review: China–US Competition: Impact on Small and Middle Powers’ Strategic Choices, ed. Simona A. Grano and David Wei Feng Huang. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2023, 351 pp. Reviewed by Hoang Hien Thuong.
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Traditionally, power is measured by states’ ability to coerce using hard power; however, the diffusion of power largely due to increased interdependence and advanced technology development has rendered these traditional sources of power less effective in achieving desired outcomes. Today, it
First, this article discusses openness and selective US interests in an openness strategy. Second, recognizing that power comes from many sources, this article discusses leveraging the diplomatic, information, economic, then military (DIME) instruments of power to address China’s rise and
A selective engagement strategy in East Asia requires diplomatic and economic cooperation and confrontation, as well as information and military competition. This article will provide a background on China’s growing influence in East Asia, outline a grand strategy of selective engagement, and
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Recently, Indo-Pacific states have found themselves embroiled in a competition between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States for influence. Particularly concerning is the notable increase in military cooperation between long-standing US partner Singapore and the PRC. This
This article examines, first, Military-Civil Fusion’s origins and organizational framework, along with its execution today under President Xi Jinping. The analysis documents key economic and political interactions among MCF’s various stakeholders. Additionally, the article uses as an
This article provides a recommended definition of lawfare, contrasts the United States’ and China’s use of lawfare in the South China Sea, and discusses potential options for the United States’ strategic legitimization and operationalization of lawfare.
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This paper analyzes and evaluates South Korea’s response to the shifting paradigm of national security, especially nontraditional security. The South Korean government has tried to address these nontraditional security issues. Still, the national sectors’ imbalance in national security
Through the lens of securitization theory, this paper comparatively analyzes important Indo-Pacific issues in the context of India’s and Japan’s responses to China’s rise. The India–Japan partnership is often touted as a bulwark against the “China threat” in the
Pacific subregionalism is exemplified by the establishment of three geocultural subregional groups within the design of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF). To examine the complex dynamics of Pacific subregionalism and its implications on regional security, this paper identifies three
This paper provides an original contribution to the literature of economic coercion, based on empirical analysis of signaling from China to the United States from late 2012 to late 2022, President Xi Jinping’s first two terms. I argue that Xi has expressed more assertive economic coercion
More Kenney Papers
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