Focus Area
Defense & Security
The risk of military conflict, shifting alliances and gaps in defense production shape where companies invest and which industries win defense orders. This section tracks security on the Korean Peninsula, around Taiwan and in the South Pacific, alliance treaties and defense legislation, and how defense industries such as drones and shipbuilding expand capacity.
9 analyses
After the DMZ Mine Blast: Seoul's 'Corresponding Measures' and the Risk of Escalation in Korea
In September 2026 a North Korean mine maimed a South Korean battalion commander inside the DMZ, and the UN Command ruled it a breach of the Armistice, though more cautiously than in 2015. That year a similar crisis climbed to an exchange of fire before loudspeakers were traded for a statement of regret. This time Seoul has dismantled its speakers, Pyongyang refuses to negotiate the border, and how far the crisis climbs depends on the means each side chooses.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan Align: The Middle East Builds a Second Security Layer Beyond the United States
The Mecca Joint Defence Agreement treats an armed attack on any one of the three as an attack on all — language that drew immediate comparison to NATO's Article 5. But reading it as another NATO misses the larger shift: regional powers are no longer only choosing among architectures designed elsewhere. Seventy years after the Baghdad Pact traced nearly the same geographic axis, the architects have changed.
Papua New Guinea in the New South Pacific Order: Security Alliance via the Pukpuk Treaty, Multi-Market Hedging, and Compartmentalized Diplomacy
Papua New Guinea is deepening its military alignment with Australia under the Pukpuk Treaty and granting the US defense access, while expanding trade with Beijing and praising major Chinese investments. This 'compartmentalized alignment' is meant as a hedge, but as the lines between security, energy, and port infrastructure blur, the cost of policy ambiguity is rising fast.
Who Owns Battlefield Knowledge: The Boundary of Interests Between Ukraine, Allies, and Defense Enterprises
The battlefield in Ukraine is exporting a highly scarce asset: technical knowledge accumulated under high-intensity combat. Militaries and defense contractors worldwide are vying for these insights. This article analyzes the shifting nature of military aid, data rights, and asymmetrical risks among Ukraine, its allies, and defense enterprises.
Lawfare in the West Pacific: How Beijing Exploits Japan-Philippines Border Talks to Advance Gray-Zone Operations East of Taiwan
As Japan and the Philippines initiate maritime boundary negotiations, Beijing has quickly recast this routine legal process as a sovereignty conflict. By running coast guard patrols and harassing merchant vessels east of Taiwan, China aims to make its claimed jurisdiction there look routine and enforceable.
Tax Incentives Enter the Defense Frontline: How the US Leverages Opportunity Zones to Bolster Shipbuilding and Submarine Capacity
The constraints on the US defense industrial base now lie less in budgets than in physical capacity. Washington is turning its tax code into a quiet lever to mobilize private capital and rebuild maritime manufacturing.
NATO Cracks Before the Ankara Summit: Europe Confronts the Security Reality of Accelerated U.S. Withdrawal
The NATO Ankara Summit in July has become a stress test for the alliance. As the U.S. speeds up its withdrawal and cuts key high-end military assets, Europe must confront a more conditional security order and rebuild its own defense and industrial capabilities.
The First Island Chain Enters Institutionalization: How the Senate Version of the 2027 NDAA Adjusts the Indo-Pacific Security Architecture
The U.S. Senate's 2027 NDAA draft expands the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative into a First Island Chain initiative that adds the Philippines, moving Indo-Pacific security from policy rhetoric toward institutional design.
The Drone Cold War: How Japan Rebuilds Its National Drone Industry by Reducing Dependence on China
Drones are reshaping modern warfare. Explore how Japan, under its economic security policies, is reducing its reliance on China's drone supply chain to rebuild a competitive national industry.