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Japan’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed that both Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV) planned for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) have already been laid down, marking the start of full-scale construction of the two-ship missile defense program. The JMSDF plans to operate two ASEV ships as part of Japan’s ballistic missile defense (BMD) architecture. The first vessel was laid down on July 18, 2025, at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki shipyard on Kyushu Island. The second ship followed on February 5, 2026, at Japan Marine United’s Isogo shipyard in Yokohama City, south of Tokyo. The milestone confirms that construction of…

China’s People’s Liberation Army employs a variety of strategies to influence ROK public opinion, interfere in ROK elections, and seek to weaken the US-ROK alliance. With a special focus on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on PLA influence operations targeting South Korea, Washington and Seoul should improve coordination to mitigate these efforts and their potential impacts.

The Philippines and France on Thursday signed a key defense pact allowing their forces to train together, as Manila builds security alliances in the face of an increasingly assertive China in the South China Sea. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin formalized the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) during a bilateral meeting in Paris. The deal marks the Philippines’ first such agreement with a European country. “The Agreement will greatly bolster bilateral cooperation and offer an adequate level of legal protection to joint activities between the Armed Forces of…

The Homeland Security Department shutdown appears poised to continue after the Senate and House took diverging paths on Friday, leaving the agency unfunded as lawmakers leave Washington for a two-week recess. The Senate early Friday morning unanimously passed a measure to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, the two agencies most central to carrying out President Trump’s immigration crackdown. ICE and CBP are currently operating normally and paying employees using existing appropriations and Republicans planned to separately pass a bill to fully fund the agencies. That plan to largely end the single-agency shutdown,…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. The Pentagon is alarmed by the rate at which Tomahawk cruise missile stocks have been depleted during ongoing operations against Iran, according to officials who spoke to The Washington Post. The latest development highlights a matter of growing importance for the Department of Defense, which is increasingly looking at the resilience of weapons stocks as it envisages a future high-end scenario in the Pacific, especially a conflict over Taiwan. So far, the U.S. Navy has fired more than 850 Tomahawk missiles in the…

National Defence 2026-03-26 Backgrounder The Government of Canada has achieved the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) defence spending target in the 2025-26 fiscal year, marking a significant milestone in Canada’s approach to national defence and collective security. Canada is investing more than $63 billion in defence across the Department of National Defence (DND), the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and other government partners. This represents a significant increase in defence spending over the past year, driven by targeted investments in military personnel, readiness, equipment, and infrastructure, as well as in the defence industrial base and…

Yuki Yoza has built one of the most compelling runs in ONE Championship’s bantamweight kickboxing division — and he has done it without hand wraps. The former K-1 Champion challenges Jonathan “The General” Haggerty for the ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title at ONE Samurai 1 on Wednesday, April 29, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The no-wraps detail first caught global attention during his promotional debut at ONE Friday Fights 109 in May 2025, when he removed his gloves after beating the previously unbeaten Elbrus Osmanov and revealed bare wrists. Since then, three wins inside ONE, including a masterclass over…

Israel Adesanya has made it clear he wants no part in the UFC’s upcoming White House card, saying he will not even attend as a spectator, just out from his main event against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle. Adesanya’s stance on UFC White House In a new sit-down with Complex’s Matt Welty, Adesanya was asked about the UFC event scheduled for the White House — a show branded “Freedom 250” that has drawn heavy attention because of its setting and political overtones. He explained that while he once had interest in the idea, that has changed with the current climate,…

U.S. Department of the Treasury March 26, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund (URIF) today announced that it has approved its first investment aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s security, supporting a sector that will be a cornerstone of Ukraine’s post-conflict economy, and increasing America’s and allies’ access to field-tested advanced technology. The joint U.S.-Ukrainian board of directors approved an equity investment in emerging technology company Sine Engineering (Sine). The investment will support Sine’s continued advancements and innovation in radio communication control systems for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Sine provides important hardware and software for UAVs that support resilient…

AREA 35 is opening a month-long test featuring up to four players, new factions, and large-scale combined-arms combat. Steam Early Access Begins for TINY METAL 2; Full Release Now Scheduled Spring 2027Area 35 has begun the second part of their TINY METAL 2 campaign by launching a limited-time Steam early access beta for testing, starting April 2nd and closing out on April 29th, 2026. Tiny Metal 2 is a turn-based tactical wargame. Players create their own forces by producing various types of units to fight in battles. Battles are quick to read; there are three different environments: land, air, and…