News Story: Vietnam, Australia hold foreign affairs, defence strategic dialogue

Sydney (VNA) – The fifth foreign affairs and defence strategic dialogue at the deputy ministerial level between Vietnam and Australia was organised in Canberra on September 27.

The event was chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Dinh Quy and Australia’s Deputy Secretary Defence People Rebecca Skinner and Deputy Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Gary Quinlan.

During the dialogue, the two sides agreed to continue boosting the Vietnam-Australia relations in the fields of politics, economics, trade, defence, security, agriculture, education and training, tourism and people-to-people diplomacy.

They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern, while pledging to maintain close coordination at multilateral forums, including the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and forums led by ASEAN such as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum, in order to promote dialogue and cooperation, and maintain peace, stability and order in the region.

Read the full story at VietnamPlus

News Report: Mattis Arrives in India to Discuss Troubled Arms Deals, Role in Afghanistan

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has arrived in New Delhi to discuss arms sales and India’s involvement in Afghanistan in his first visit since Donald Trump became president of the United States.

Mattis arrived in India late Monday to meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who assumed office earlier in September.

"India from our perspective is clearly a pillar of regional stability and security: we share a common vision for a peaceful and prosperous future in the Indo-Pacific region," Mattis said in an interview during his flight, according to the Gulf Times.

According to various media reports, there are two major topics on Mattis's agenda: arms sales and Afghanistan.

In general, India is in need of a sizable and diverse fleet of planes, drones and helicopters. The issue is complicated by Modi's "Make in India" policy, under which India seeks to replace off-the-shelf purchases of military tech with the establishment of joint production on Indian soil. Some experts argue New Delhi actually seeks to acquire the technology itself, something the US is reluctant to provide.

News Report: Pakistan, Russia Begin 'Friendship 2017' Joint Anti-terror Drill

Ayaz Gul

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani and Russian military commandos have launched joint counterterrorism drills in the mountains and forests of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia.

The two-week-long exercise dubbed as "Friendship 2017" involves more than 200 mostly special forces from both countries who will conduct joint "hostage rescue" and "cordon-and-search" operations, according to the Pakistani military.

"The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen military ties between the countries and share Pakistan army's experience in war against terrorism," it added.

Meanwhile, a nearly three-week-long joint air force exercises China is hosting with Pakistan are due to conclude this week. A spokesman for the Chinese air force described them as "routine" exercises.

Pakistan's deepening political, economic and defense ties with traditional ally China and its emerging new alliance with Russia come amid Islamabad's increasingly uneasy and strained relations with the United States.

News Story: Drones, Fighter jets on table as Mattis visits key ally India

By Abhaya SRIVASTAVA

Fighter jets, drone deals and shared concerns over Afghanistan's security look set to dominate the agenda when US Defense Secretary James Mattis visits India this week.

Mattis is scheduled to arrive late Monday and is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his new defence minister, in the first visit by a top US official since Donald Trump became president in January.

"The United States views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," a Pentagon statement said.

Trump and Modi met in June in Washington and the visit by Mattis is a sign "the political leadership in both countries place defence cooperation as a top priority", Mukesh Aghi, president of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum, told AFP.

Delhi and Washington share concerns about Afghanistan, with Trump announcing a new strategy for the war-torn country last month which cleared the way for the deployment of thousands more US troops.

The president has urged India to increase assistance to Afghanistan's economy, and has lambasted Delhi's arch-rival Pakistan for offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

Read the full story at SpaceDaily

News Story: China, Vietnam pledge to maintain border stability

JINPING, Yunnan Province, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Military delegations from China and Vietnam attended the fourth high-level border meeting, with the two sides agreeing to maintain border stability and push bilateral ties.

The two-day meeting was held in northwest Vietnam's Lai Chau Province and southwest China's Yunnan Province, starting Saturday.

Read the full story at Xinhua

India: Visit of Chief of the Air Staff to Australia

Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff is on an official visit to Australia from 19-22 Sep 17. The visit is intended to further strengthen the existing defence cooperation between the Air Forces of the two countries. 

During his stay, he is scheduled to hold talks with top brass of the Royal Australian Air Force on security challenges being faced by the two forces in the current geopolitical scenario and explore ways to deepen defence cooperation. The main focus of the visit is on improving bilateral relations, promoting defence ties and exploring further area of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces. 

During the visit, the CAS would visit the Headquarters of Royal Australian Air Force and operational air bases. 

Indian Press Information Bureau

News Story: Moon, Trump agree to boost military deterrence, put maximum pressure on N. Korea

NEW YORK, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- Presidents Moon Jae-in and Donald Trump agreed Thursday to expand the deployment of U.S. strategic assets to South Korea and surrounding areas.

During their summit on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, they underscored the need to maintain overwhelming deterrence against North Korea, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Park Soo-hyun said at a press briefing.

To this end, they agreed to strengthen their countries' joint defense capabilities, partly through Seoul's acquisition and development of "the most advanced military assets," Park said.

The two leaders strongly condemned North Korea's latest nuclear provocation as a serious and escalating threat.

"The two leaders shared a view on the need for the strongest pressure and sanctions against North Korea to deter North Korea's provocative activities and make it start taking steps toward denuclearization," he said.

Earlier reports suggested the leaders were set to announce an agreement for Seoul's acquisition or development of nuclear-powered submarines, a strategic asset that could counter North Korea's submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Seoul earlier dismissed the reports.

The Cheong Wa Dae spokesman refused to confirm whether Seoul's acquisition of the most advanced military assets would include nuclear-propelled submarines.

Their second bilateral summit was watched closely as it came two days after Trump warned of a possible military action against Pyongyang.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

Related Story:

• Trump announces new sanctions on N. Korea

News Story: Chinese defense minister meets Singaporean counterpart

BEIJING, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan met Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen here on Thursday.

Chang said that leaders of both countries attach great importance to the development of bilateral relations, and the two countries should back each other on their core interests and major concerns.

Read the full story at Xinhua

USA: Defense Secretary Speaks With Japanese Counterpart

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2017 — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis spoke by phone with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera on the evening of Sept. 14 following the latest North Korean missile launch, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Rob Manning said in a readout yesterday.

The defense secretary reassured his Japanese counterpart of America's unwavering commitment to the defense of Japan and the broader security of the region, Manning said. Mattis and Onodera agreed that the North Korean provocation called for a strong demonstration of a unified front between the United States, Japan and South Korea, the colonel said, and they agreed on the importance of robust trilateral defense cooperation between the three nations.

US DoD

News Story: China, Laos agree to boost military exchanges, cooperation

VIENTIANE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Laos have vowed to deepen bilateral high-level military exchanges and cooperation during a visit by Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Chang Wanquan to Laos which concluded on Saturday.

During his four-day visit, Chang met with General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and Lao President Bounnhang Vorachit and held talks with Lao Defense Minister Chansamone Chanyalath.

Chang also co-chaired the first China-Laos high-level frontier meeting between the two armed forces with the Lao defense minister.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries and two militaries, and promised to fully implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and two parties, according to a joint statement issued on Saturday.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Report: India, Japan Set to Ink Record $1.3 Billion Amphibious Aircraft Deal

ShinMayWa US-2 Amphibious Aircraft (Image: Wiki Commons)

During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to India, the countries are expected to finally seal the US-2 amphibious aircraft deal, the negotiations on which had been halted since 2010 because of its “excessive price.”

Abe arrived in Ahmedabad on Wednesday on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review progress in the strategic partners' multifaceted cooperation.

While the main focus is going to be on the high speed railway groundbreaking ceremony, India and Japan are expected to deepen their cooperation on defense and nuclear technologies.

India is likely to finalize purchases of the US-2 amphibious aircraft ShinMayWa in what may become Japan's largest defence export deal. India plans to buy 12 of these aircraft off-the-shelf for the Navy and another 18 will be jointly manufactured in India under the Prime Minister Modi's "Make in India" programme.

News Report: India to Provide More Assistance to Afghan Defense Forces

Anjana Pasricha

NEW DELHI — India will provide more assistance to Afghan defense forces and implement new development projects in the war-torn country.

The announcement came at the first high-level meeting held between the two countries after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled a new Afghan strategy in which he called on India to step up its role in Afghanistan.

A joint statement issued at the end of a day-long conference between the Afghan and Indian foreign ministers Monday in New Delhi said they have agreed to strengthen security cooperation, and India will extend assistance for the Afghan forces to fight terrorism, organized crime, trafficking of narcotics and money laundering.

Afghanistan has long pressed for greater Indian assistance in defense supplies and capacity building as it struggles to fight Taliban insurgents who have taken swathes of territory.

News Story: India, Afghanistan agree to bolster security cooperation

NEW DELHI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- India and Afghanistan Monday inked four pacts and agreed to strengthen security cooperation as Foreign Ministers of both countries held extensive talks at the second Indo-Afghan Strategic Partnership Council meeting here.

The four pacts, signed in presence of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani, included a motor vehicles agreement and a fresh document on India's development assistance.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: India to step up defense ties with Belarus

NEW DELHI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- India said on Monday that it will bolster bilateral ties, including in defence and security, with Belarus during the visit by the east European nation's President A.G. Lukashenko.

President Lukashenko will arrive in the Indian capital on Monday night on a two-day state visit, which coincides with the two countries celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the External Affairs Ministry said.

During his stay in Delhi, President Lukashenko will meet Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on him, the ministry said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: Japan, Britain look to sign accord to strengthen joint security drills

Japan and Britain are considering signing a bilateral status-of-forces agreement in a bid to beef up joint drills between Japan's Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and British military, sources familiar with the issue said.

By signing an accord, the Japanese and British governments will aim to clarify legal procedures for dealing with crimes and accidents in which SDF and British forces' personnel are involved while in the other country's territory and facilitate troop operations.

Tokyo and London will go ahead with work toward signing a bilateral status-of-forces pact at an early date at a so-called "two-plus-two" meeting between foreign and defense ministers to be held in Britain as early as this year.

At a joint news conference following a summit meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his British counterpart Theresa May on Aug. 31, the two leaders released a joint declaration on security cooperation.

"Britain is an important player in security in the Asia-Pacific region. Our two countries will work more closely in joint drills, defense equipment, technological cooperation and assistance in capacity building efforts," Abe said.

Read the full story at The Mainichi

News Story: China, Pakistan agree to strengthen security cooperation

BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China and Pakistan agreed to strengthen anti-terrorism and security cooperation along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The agreement was reached when Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Pakistani National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua Friday in Beijing.

Hailing Pakistan's efforts in counter-terrorism, Meng called for strengthened anti-terrorism and security cooperation in the building of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"China and Pakistan, as good friends, friendly neighbors and all-weather strategic cooperative partners, have always firmly supported each other's core interests," Meng said.

Read the full story at Xinhua

News Story: S. Korea, Vietnam to hold defense strategy talks

SEOUL, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea said Friday it will hold vice ministerial defense talks with Vietnam on improving bilateral cooperation on North Korea and other security issues.

South Korean Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk is scheduled to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Chi Vinh later in the day for the annual Defense Strategy Dialogue, which was launched in 2012.

He's on a visit here to attend the sixth Seoul Defense Dialogue, a security forum hosted by Suh's ministry.

Read the full story at YonhapNews

News Report: Chinese Checkers? Japan and India Continue to Strengthen Military Ties

The long-standing defense partnership between India and Japan has been further bolstered, with the two nations announcing more bilateral combat exercises, more equipment and technology exchanges, and more coordinated efforts to check the rapidly expanding geopolitical profile of their mutual rival, China.

During a meeting between Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley and his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera, the two nations agreed to expand their bilateral defense relationship, particularly in the fields of anti-submarine warfare and counter-terrorist operations.

"The ministers exchanged views and ideas with the aim to further strengthen defense and security cooperation under the framework of the 'Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership,'" read a joint statement issued by the Indian and Japanese Ministries of Defense.

Jaitley agreed to include anti-submarine exercises involving the Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrol aircraft during the 2018 Malabar naval exercises, which will also involve the United States. The exercises have been held annually since 2002, with Japan becoming the third permanent partner in the drills in 2015.

News Story: Abe vows to beef up cooperation with India to address N. Korea

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed Tuesday to promote defense and security cooperation with India in light of North Korea's intensifying military activities during his talks with Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley.

"Whether North Korea's reckless acts can be stopped or not depends on cooperation of the international community," Abe said at the outset of their meeting at his office in Tokyo. "We would like to change North Korea's policies in close cooperation with India."

The meeting followed North Korea's sixth nuclear test on Sunday, which Pyongyang claimed involved a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile. In July, the North fired two ICBMs.

Jaitley echoed the view, saying, "India has taken a very strong position on the tests conducted recently, in fact we have deplored them in no uncertain language."

The defense minister also said terrorism and proliferation of nuclear technologies and missiles in the Asian region is a "matter of crucial concern for both Japan and India."

Read the full story at The Mainichi

AUS: Visit to Republic of Korea and the Philippines

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, will travel to the Republic of Korea and the Philippines from 6 to 8 September.

Minister Payne will meet with Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon and Minister for National Defense, Song Young-moo, in Seoul on 7 September to further enhance our bilateral relationship with the Republic of Korea, Australia’s fourth largest trading partner, and advance our broader security and defence interests in the region.

Minister Payne will also meet with General Vincent Brooks, Commander United Nations Command, US Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command, to discuss security on the Korean peninsula.

Minister Payne will deliver the keynote address at the 6th Seoul Defense Dialogue, where defence officials from 38 countries and international organisations will attend the three-day dialogue.