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Nine-Dash Line & PLA projection in the South China Sea

Nine-Dash Line & PLA projection in the South China Sea. (Source: Office of the Secretary of Defense, “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” 2022, 113, https://media.defense.gov/.)
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CCP unrestricted warfare strategy design

CCP unrestricted warfare strategy design
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Polls on US/China Favorable Ratings & China’s Growing Influence.

Polls on US/China Favorable Ratings & China’s Growing Influence. (Source: Laura Silver, Christine Huang, and Laura Clancy, “Across 19 Countries, More People See the U.S. than China Favorably—but More See China’s Influence Growing,” Pew Research Center (blog), 29 June 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/.)
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Pre-COVID CCP Overall Satisfaction Poll

Pre-COVID CCP Overall Satisfaction Poll (Source: Edward Cunningham, Tony Saich, and Jesse Turiel, Understanding CCP Resilience: Surveying Chinese Public Opinion through Time [Cambridge, MA: Ash Center, July 2020], https://ash.harvard.edu/.)
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Undersea cable chokepoints affecting Asia and the Middle East

Undersea cable chokepoints affecting Asia and the Middle East. (Source: “Arctic Submarine Fiber-optic Cable Line Polar Express,” Morsviazsputnik (website), 2020, https://www.marsat.ru/.)
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PEACE: A 1,500-km-long network connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe

PEACE: A 1,500-km-long network connecting Asia, Africa, and Europe. (Source: Peace Cable International Network Co., Limited http://www.peacecable.net/.)
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China’s Increasing Space Power and India–China Orbital Competitions

The space race reflects terrestrial geopolitical anxieties, with the Indo-Pacific witnessing an extension of its rivalries into space. India and China, prominent players in this arena, showcase terrestrial conflicts influencing their space strategies. China, evident through projects like the Belt and Road Initiative in South Asia, emphasizes its strategic space policy. India, although lacking a dedicated space force like China, has established itself regionally. Both nations possess antisatellite capabilities and reject the UN resolution banning antisatellite missile tests. This study investigates China’s expanding space influence, raising security concerns in the Indo-Pacific, particularly South Asia. Employing explanatory research, the article explores the geopolitical implications, shedding light on perspectives often overlooked in the context of great-power rivalries: those of smaller aspiring spacefaring nations.
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The Nuclear Revolution: Fact of Fiction?

For nearly eight decades, nuclear weapons have played a vital role in achieving peace and security through deterrence policies. Simultaneously, they shielded aggressors from third-party intervention, contributing to conflict. This contradiction raises questions about nuclear weapons’ true impact on international affairs. Some scholars view nuclear weapons as transformative in statecraft, fostering optimism about security, while others remain skeptical. Thus, this article asks: How revolutionary were nuclear weapons? Further inquiries persist. To what extent does this revolution affect global competition? Can the nuclear revolution’s principles adapt to evolving security contexts, and to what extent? This article explores the nuclear revolution’s key aspects, examines the contemporary security landscape, and offers conclusions. It argues that the nuclear revolution has validity but acknowledges the complexity of the situation. The evolving security environment introduces more uncertainty than the nuclear revolution suggests.
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Kim’s Nukes, Yoon’s Qualms: Strengthening the US Nuclear Umbrella over South Korea

Since North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006, its rapid expansion of nuclear weapons and missiles has raised doubts in South Korea about US extended deterrence commitments. In 2023, President Yoon Suk-yeol opened discussion of an independent South Korean nuclear arsenal. This article examines South Korean perspectives and support for nuclear weapons through expert interviews and polling data analysis. It finds enduring fears of US abandonment drive South Korean interest in indigenous capabilities or a return of US nuclear weapons. Experts emphasize the need to improve South Korean understanding of nuclear strategy and assurance policies. Recommendations include strengthening the US–ROK Nuclear Consultative Group, increasing strategic asset deployments and exercises, enhancing information sharing on nuclear planning, and expanding Korean involvement in nuclear consultations and training. Given President Yoon’s concerns, concrete assurance efforts are critical to preventing a collapse of the global nonproliferation regime and a new nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia.
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Irregular Influence: Combating Malign Chinese Communist Party Actions in Southeast Asia

As the United States seeks to reorient its foreign policy to effectively compete with China, it must gain a profound understanding of China’s ambitions. Uncovering the historical roots and driving forces behind Chinese actions is crucial for comprehending the underlying motivations fueling these ambitions. This research scrutinizes the global ambitions of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and assesses the strategic means by which it seeks to realize them. It critically examines the CCP’s pursuit of global hegemony and outlines its strategy, with a particular focus on its regional ambitions in Southeast Asia. Emphasis is placed on the CCP’s utilization of malign influence as a tool to achieve its objectives while carefully avoiding actions that might provoke a military response from the United States. This research is relevant to foreign relations experts and the operational military force alike.
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Securing the Digital Seabed: Countering China’s Underwater Ambitions

Title: Securing the Digital Seabed: Countering China’s Underwater Ambitions Author: Raghvendra Kumar Abstract: China’s Digital Silk Road provides Beijing with a potent instrument to disrupt undersea cables and gain an advantage in the Indo-Pacific. Submarine fiber-optic cables are critical infrastructure yet vulnerable to sabotage. This paper examines how the planned Pakistan and East Africa Connecting Europe (PEACE) cable from China could become a new flashpoint in the Western Indian Ocean. The cable has strategic implications, allowing China to project power and leverage its technological edge. Its landing sites in Pakistan and Djibouti would anchor Chinese naval assets in key chokepoints. The civil-military fusion strategy also facilitates surveillance and espionage via the cables. To counter such threats, India and allies must secure submarine cables through monitoring, contingency planning, and multilateral cooperation. Investing in alternative “democratic digital networks” can also mitigate China’s ambitions. Ultimately, submarine cables are emerging as a domain of geopolitical competition requiring policies that safeguard their resilience.
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China’s Security Agreement with the Solomon Islands: Wider Implications for Geopolitics in the South Pacific

Title: China’s Security Agreement with the Solomon Islands: Wider Implications for Geopolitics in the South Pacific Author: Joseph Hammond Abstract: This article explores the leaked security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands, which has significant implications for the geopolitical landscape of the South Pacific region. China’s first-known bilateral security arrangement in the area enables potential deployment of its forces near vital shipping lanes, raising concerns about a future Chinese military base. The agreement’s leaked details reveal provisions for Chinese personnel to assist in maintaining social order and providing humanitarian aid. Australia, New Zealand, and the United States have expressed apprehension, with Washington reopening the US embassy in the Solomon Islands and negotiating exclusive military use rights with other nations. This move by Beijing expands China’s maritime strategic presence and bolsters its hard power in the region, while also enhancing its soft power through similar agreements with other Pacific Island nations. The establishment of Chinese naval bases in the Solomon Islands would be a significant development with far-reaching implications for the Indo-Pacific. Urgent proactive measures are needed to mitigate potential conflicts and uphold regional stability.
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China’s Authoritarian Grip: How China Reinforces Social Control, Cultivates a Climate of Fear, and Minimizes Dissent

Roughly one-quarter of the world’s people and Internet users live under governments that engage in heavy censorship. A large portion live behind “The Great Firewall” of China, which places strategic importance on Internet control. The Internet can serve counterhegemonic purposes, as numerous groups in civil society use it to connect isolated populations, unite women’s movements, and enable human rights and political minority activists. However, China sees Internet censorship as crucial for national security and social stability. Through legal research, translating Chinese sources, and drawing on personal experiences in China, this paper argues that Chinese domestic censorship poses an international threat.
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Secretary Antony J. Blinken at the 8th Annual CSIS Republic of Korea–United States Strategic Forum

In his address at the 8th Annual CSIS Republic of Korea–United States Strategic Forum, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken underscored the enduring strength and significance of the US–Korea relationship as it approaches 70 years since the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty. The Secretary highlighted the deepening of the alliance, emphasizing the commitment to mutual defense, especially in the face of North Korea’s provocative actions and its growing cooperation with Russia. He also discussed the strengthening economic partnership between the two countries, with significant investments and collaborative initiatives driving innovation and sustainable growth in the Indo-Pacific region. Additionally, Secretary Blinken noted the evolving trilateral cooperation between the United States, Korea, and Japan in addressing regional challenges, such as North Korean nuclear threats and cyber activities. He emphasized the commitment to a rules-based order, including freedom of navigation, and the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. The address concluded with a recognition of Korea’s increasing global leadership and the shared ambition of the United States and Korea for a long-lasting and beneficial partnership.
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231025-F-EX201-1090

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne S. Bass meets with Air University’s Resilience Research Task Force at the Air Force Culture and Language Center, Maxwell AFB, Ala., on Oct. 25, 2023. (US Air Force photo by Melanie Rodgers Cox)
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LEAP Spotlight: Master Sgt. Luisa Martinez

LEAP Spotlight: Master Sgt. Luisa Martinez
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Cracking the code: LEAP Scholars study cybersecurity in today’s military

Seven Language Enabled Airman Program Scholars participated in the Air Force Culture and Language Center’s first overseas Guided Cyber Language Intensive Training Event, or Guided Cyber LITE, in Germany earlier this year. Pictured from left: Staff Sgt. Silvia Bowman, Capt. Stone Shoaf, Special Agent Schyler Turpin, Capt. Darren Hafke, Capt. Justin Williamson, Maj. Edward Wood, Senior Master Sgt. Benjamin Wilson, and Dr. Sandra Schoder from the Defense Language Institute Detachment at Air University and the guide for the LEAP Scholars in Germany. Photo by U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Wongwai.
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231018-F-KW266-1042

2nd Maintenance Squadron maintainers pose for a photo with retired Senior Master Sgt. John McNeece at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., October 18, 2023. McNeece served in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 to 1975 and worked as a maintainer when the B-52 was first introduced. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Seth Watson)
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231018-F-KW266-1034

Senior Airman Ethan Bianucci, 2nd Maintenance Squadron aerospace ground equipment specialist, talks with retired Senior Master Sgt. John McNeece at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., October 18, 2023. McNeece was among the first generation of B-52 maintainers during his time in service from 1952 until 1975. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Seth Watson)
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231018-F-KW266-1031

Retired Senior Master Sgt. John McNeece shares stories and advice with 2nd Maintenance Squadron maintainers at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., October 18, 2023. McNeece was among the first generation of B-52H Stratofortress maintainers during his time in service from 1952 until 1975. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Seth Watson)
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