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)
The United Kingdom’s carrier strike group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force led by Hyuga-class helicopter destroyer JS Ise conduct multiple carrier strike group operations with US Navy carrier strike groups led by flagships USS Ronald Reagan and USS Carl Vinson in the Philippine Sea on October 3, 2021. (DVIDS)
Sailors check the integrity of an arresting gear wire on the flight deck of the USS John C. Stennis during Rim of the Pacific joint military exercises on July 13, 2016. (DVIDS)
American and Australian C-17 Globemasters take part in an aerial maneuver training mission in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 4, 2022. (US Airforce photo by Makensie Cooper)
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada speaks at the a joint press availability on January 11, 2023, at the US Department of State. (US Department of State via Flickr)
Korean Marines take part in joint exercises with Japanese, American, and Philippine troops in the Philippines on October 7, 2022. (US Marine Corps photo by Danny Gonzalez)