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
More Sr. Leader Perspectives...
Japan has emerged as the Indo-Pacific’s most resolute supporter of Ukraine, committing more than USD 9 billion in aid and assuming a central role in the global response to Russian aggression. This article examines Japan’s strategic motivations through a
This article examines Japan's response to the 7 October 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel and the ensuing conflict. By analyzing Japan's historical engagement with the Middle East and its evolving relationships with Israel and Palestine, the article argues that Japan faces competing
This article examines the emergence of Japan and the Philippines as a pivotal middle-power dyad in the evolving security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. Against the backdrop of China's maritime assertiveness and growing uncertainty in US foreign policy, Tokyo and Manila have deepened bilateral
China’s militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea has intensified regional tensions and appeared to shift the strategic balance in its favor. This study argues, however, that it is not too late for the United States to restore that balance. By analyzing the primary function
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
More Features...
Japan and India have undergone a profound strategic realignment in the Indo-Pacific, driven by shared concerns over China’s growing assertiveness. Once distant partners, the two nations have deepened their security ties through joint military exercises, technology transfers, and coordinated
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
@page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin-left: 1in; margin-right: 1in; margin-top: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.5in } p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 115%; background: transparent } a:link { color: #000080; so-language: zxx; text-decoration: underline } a.sdfootnoteanc { font-size: 57% }Click here for
More Views...
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
More Commentaries...
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.
More Book Reviews...
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
More AC&S Commentaries
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.
More Cadet Perspectives
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
See what other Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs readers and website visitors have to say. Visit the Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs on Facebook and Twitter.
600 Chennault Circle, Bldg 1405, Rm. 143 Maxwell AFB, AL 36112
Subscribe to JIPA
The views and opinions expressed or implied in JIPA are those of the authors and should not be construed as carrying the official sanction of the Department of Defense, Department of the Air Force, Air Education and Training Command, Air University, or other agencies or departments of the US government or their international equivalents. See our Publication Ethics Statement.
