A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
As tensions in the Taiwan Strait have escalated in recent years, Taiwan’s 2024 election loomed as a potential landmark event in cross-strait relations. Taiwanese voters took to the polls on …
Taiwanese Presidential Inauguration Sparks Milestone Chinese Military Exercise Read More
In January, the archipelago nation of Nauru severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of formal relations with China, reducing the number of countries recognizing Taipei’s sovereignty to eleven. Nauru’s …
Nauru’s Diplomatic Shift Signals Increasing Chinese Dominance in the Indo-Pacific Read More
The House passed a series of supplemental foreign aid bills over the weekend that contain $95.3 billion in funding for Ukraine, Israel, and security in the Indo-Pacific. The move ends …
House Passes Foreign Aid Bills for Ukraine, Israel, and Indo-Pacific Read More
In the complex landscape of Taiwanese defense politics, a stark divide has emerged between the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of the Tsai administration, particularly concerning the …
Internal Politics Cause Chasm in Taiwan’s Defense Posture Read More
China appears to be sleepwalking toward a conflict over Taiwan. In response, East Asia has begun to prepare for a war that could start as early as 2026. While some …
East Asian Rearmament – The Red Line Podcast Read More
With China continuing to ramp up coercion operations in the wake of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan on August 2, the government of Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, …
As China Looms Ever Larger, Taiwan Prepares Record Defense Budget for 2023 Read More
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given rise to uncertainty about the broader security situation in Europe, and raises questions about U.S. defense investment as Washington weighs its response options. With …
Will Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Change the U.S. Defense Budget Calculus? Read More Just a few weeks before the U.S. presidential election, the Trump administration has cleared yet another billion-plus-dollar Foreign Military Sales package for Taiwan. The latest FMS package involves three sales …
Taiwan Cleared for $1.8 Billion Worth of FMS Purchases Read More Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) plans to send teams of experts to Europe and the U.S. to consult with international defense industrial partners as the construction phase of the …
Taiwan Dispatching Teams to Europe, U.S. as Indigenous Submarine Program Readies Launch Read More
A Taiwanese request to the U.S. for an $8 billion government-to-government sale of 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V Block 70 jet fighters appears to have some momentum, as reports indicate the …
Proposed F-16V Sale to Taiwan Makes Headway Read More