China showed off its nukes and caused problems in the region: 5 Indo-Pacific stories from 2025
China was once again at the forefront of Indo-Pacific news in 2025.
Austal Defence Australia awarded $681 million landing craft contract Down Under
Austal’s announcement added that the last LCM, all of which are destined for the Australian Army, will be delivered in 2032.
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Powering the future: Securing America with domestically made microelectronics
Onshoring and investment in military-specific semiconductors anchor a cornerstone of the defense industrial base.
Biggest reform ‘in 50 years’ coming for Australian defense acquisition, minister says
"Clearly, the reason this is happening is because the existing organizational structure is showing deficiencies in terms of delivering key defense projects on time and on budget," Malcolm Davis of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says.
Maritime drone maker Seasats expands into AUS, NZ through deal with Elysium EPL
The companies recently worked together to get the American drone maker's USV certified by Australian authorities.
Lockheed Martin Australia awards Moog contract to develop GMLRS rocket component
“It’s a critical time right now that Australian industry has actually got a hand up to say, 'Hey, we’re here to help,'" a Lockheed executive said.
Tiny Aussie startup teams with Austal to allow autonomous systems on all Royal Navy ships
"So, our plan, our mission, is to make safe, clean, protected oceans, and to do that, we want to be the global industrial leader for maritime autonomy and robotics, essentially like the Microsoft of the ocean," Greenroom Robotics co-founder Harry Hubbert said.
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GPS: Still the gold standard in global navigation
The GPS network continues to prove its unmatched reliability, and it’s only getting stronger.
Australian Space Command considers ‘space control’ options: Senior officer
"The ADF will seek space advantage to enable freedom of action by temporally assuring access and disrupting or denying an adversary use of the space domain, as required," states Australia's Concept SELENE outlining military space operations.
‘Already at war’: Palau’s president brings China-US competition for Pacific Islands to forefront
Separately, Papua New Guinea and Australia are set to sign a new security agreement.
Australia commits to $8 billion investment towards naval shipbuilding, AUKUS prep
More broadly Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles pledged to continue to increase defence spending to record levels to deliver the capabilities Australia needs.
Australia signs contract with Anduril for Ghost Shark autonomous underwater vehicle
Australia will invest 1.7 billion AUD (1.13 billion USD) for the delivery, maintenance and continued development of the Ghost Shark in Australia over the next five years, according to a news release today issued by the Australian Department of Defence.
10 Breaking Defense op-eds that defined 2025
It's been a whirlwind of a year — and the defense establishment has plenty of thoughts on how it's unfolded and what might come next.
After Chinese ships ram each other, concern over dangerous encounters in South China Sea
"It shows how close we are to an incident that triggers a wider diplomatic and military crisis," China analyst Euan Graham said.
2025 Schriever space wargame last to be planned unilaterally by US
This year's game included five "notional technologies" designed to improve international cooperation, such as tools to improve common space domain awareness, according to Space Force officials.
Northrop Grumman says first DARC test validates radar tracking capability
DARC has been plagued with delays almost since its inception, according to a series of annual studies by the Government Accountability Office.
Japanese defense minister welcomes Australian frigate decision, but analysts warn risks remain
“Japan and Australia are special strategic partners, and this was a major step toward further enhancing security cooperation with Australia,” said Gen Nakatani, Japanese defense minister.