Colin Clark, the founding editor of Breaking Defense, is now our Indo-Pacific Bureau Chief, based in Sydney, Australia. In addition to his foundational efforts at Breaking Defense, Colin also started DoDBuzz.com, the world’s first all-online defense news website. He’s covered Congress, intelligence and regulatory affairs for Space News; founded and edited the Washington Aerospace Briefing, a newsletter for the space industry; covered national security issues for Congressional Quarterly; and was editor of Defense News. Colin is an avid fisherman, grill genius and wine drinker, all of which are only part of the reason he relishes the opportunity to live in Australia.
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“The delivery of these uncrewed aerial systems in 2025 … is a significant demonstration of Defence and industry’s strong partnership, and intent to enhance the speed at which we introduce capabilities in support of current and future Defence requirements,” said Australian minister for defense procurement Pat Conroy.
“We’re confident that regardless of who occupies the White House, [AUKUS] will continue to go from strength to strength,” Matt Thistlethwaite, assistant Australian defense minister, told Breaking Defense
The “Drone Coalition Common Fund” was established within a new Memorandum of Understanding signed by the coalition members that also “provides a framework” for the group’s “core activities.”
The new cloud deal “will enhance Defence’s resilience, improve the ADF’s warfighting capacity, (and) strengthen interoperability with key international partners,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
“I think we still believe that China … does not create undue areas of friction and tension that can escalate in ways that are unpredictable and dangerous,” Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said.
“This is unfortunate that such a big, independent, powerful country as China is an instrument in the hands of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” the Ukrainian president said at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
“Anyone who dares to separate Taiwan from China will only end up in self-destruction,” Adm. Dong Jun, China’s defense minister, said here in remarks liberally sprinkled with aggressive imagery and threats.
Asked by a Chinese military official if he’s talking about a Pacific NATO, Austin emphasized the network is a group of countries “with similar values and a common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
In reportedly frank talks, US and Chinese military chiefs discuss Taiwan, South China Sea, and, according to the Pentagon, Beijing’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth said she “wouldn’t commit” to such a dramatic jump in spending as floated by Sen. Roger Wicker, but she “certainly welcome[s] that conversation.”
“The PRC shows a strategic preference for activities in cyberspace and other domains that gradually bolster its position over an extended period, prioritizing steady progress and cumulative gains over immediate, overt victories,” a report about PRC cyber activities by Booz Allen finds.
