Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of a parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of victory in World War II in Beijing on August 20, 2025. (Pedro Pardo via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
US Commerce Secretary Howard William Lutnick and Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa shake hands on on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) sails in formation during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 28, 2022. (DVIDS)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
A microchip and Taiwanese flag displayed on a phone screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo on April 10, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki via Getty Images)
Aerial view of the Diablo Canyon the only operational nuclear plant left in California due to be shutdown in 2024 on December 1, 2021, Avila Beach, California. (George Rose via Getty Images)
True color satellite image of the Yellow Sea between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. (Photo by Planet Observer/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Taiwanese military personnel drive a CM-25 armoured vehicle across the street during the Han Kuang military exercise which simulates China's People's Liberation Army invading the island on July 27, 2022, in New Taipei City, Taiwan. (Annabelle Chih via Getty Images)
USS Delaware makes its way down the Thames River and past the City of New London after departing Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, on November 28, 2022. (John Narewski via DVIDS)