Pentagon chief Jim Mattis arrived in Singapore on Friday ahead of a key defence summit where longstanding US allies will look for clear messages about America’s regional security goals under President Donald Trump. Mattis’s visit, his second to the region, is the latest in a string of appearances by top US officials who have scrambled … Read more
Japan has dispatched its biggest warship, in the first such operation since it passed controversial laws expanding the role of its military. The helicopter carrier Izumo is escorting a US supply vessel within Japanese waters. The US ship is heading to refuel the naval fleet in the region, including the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group. … Read more
Donald Trump will meet Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in New York next week, rebooting a relationship that got off to a rocky start shortly after the US president’s inauguration. The White House announced Tuesday that the meeting will take place May 4 at the USS Intrepid museum in New York, where Trump is set … Read more
North Korea is “ready to sink” a US aircraft carrier heading for the peninsula, state media have said. A commentary in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper warned that the USS Carl Vinson could be sunk “with a single strike”. A battle group headed by the Vinson is expected off the peninsula this week. It was despatched … Read more
The US supercarrier Carl Vinson will start joint exercises with Japan’s navy on Sunday, Tokyo’s defence ministry said, as the warship passes through the western Pacific after days of contention over its whereabouts. The strike group is in the region as tensions spike over North Korea’s rogue arms programme and concerns that Pyongyang is planning … Read more