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)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in Beijing, China, October 1, 2019. (Photo by Xia Yifang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
President Joe Biden disembarks Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday, January 16, 2023. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
Australian soldiers render honor as Australian Deputy Prime Minister of Defense Richard Marles meets with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, on July 13, 2022. (US Army photo by Mr. Leroy Council)
Chiang Wan-an, Taipei mayoral candidate of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), celebrates his victory in local elections on November 26, 2022, in Taipei, Taiwan. (Louise Delmotte/Getty Images)
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)
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi speaks during cabinet meeting in Tehran, Iran, on January 19, 2023. (Iranian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)