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 US Navy Douglas F4D-1 Skyray assigned to Carrier Air Group 21 (CVG-21) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Lexington in flight off Taiwan, circa 1958. (Wikimedia Commons)
US Indo-Pacific Commander John C. Aquilino and Indonesian Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto participate in a welcome ceremony prior to a meeting with other regional leaders. (US Navy Photo by Joshua Bryce Bruns)
A US Green Beret and members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force prepare for joint drills in Barrigada, Guam, on July 28, 2022. (US Army Photo by Matthew Crane)