Two helicopters crashed into the sea during military training. The Japanese Defense Ministry was analyzing the cause of the incident, amid suspicion that the two aircraft crashed off the Izu Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Two Japanese military helicopters crashed into the Pacific Ocean late on Saturday, with one crew member confirmed dead and seven others still missing. The two helicopters were conducting training "to counter submarines at night" when the incident occurred, said Defense Minister Minoru Kihara. What do we know about the crash? The helicopters were training off the Izu Islands when communication was lost with them. Rescuers "spotted what are believed to be part of the aircraft in the sea, and we believe that the two helicopters crashed," Kihara said. He added that the flight recorders were retrieved and the ministry was analyzing the cause of the incident, "including possibility of a collision between the two." Fragments believed to be from both choppers were found in the same areas, suggesting the two were flying close to each other, Kihara said. He added that only one distress call was heard, another sign the two helicopters were near the same place, as their signals use the same frequency and thus could not be differentiated. In April 2023, a Japanese army helicopter carrying 10 people crashed off Miyako island in southern Okinawa, leaving behind no survivors. Japan has recently upped its military buildup and deterrence in the southwestern Japanese islands in the Pacific and East China Sea. It comes as China's military activities grow more assertive in the region.

US President Joe Biden has welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the White House. They are expected to increase cooperation over a perceived Chinese threat in the Asia-Pacific region. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida kicked off his official visit to the US as he was welcomed by US President Joe Biden to the White House Tuesday night. The two leaders will discuss plans to restructure the US military presence in Japan in the face of perceived threats in the Asia-Pacific region, especially from China and North Korea. This will be the biggest upgrade to defense deals between Washington and Tokyo since the 1960s. According to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the two leaders are expected to "announce measures to enhance security cooperation, to enable greater coordination and integration of our forces." Media reports say they could agree to the biggest upgrade in US-Japan command and control structures in decades. What is Kishida's plan Kishida is traveling with his wife Yuko and was welcomed by Biden and the First Lady Jill.  "Our nations are partners in a world where we choose creation over destruction, peace over bloodshed, and democracy over autocracy," Jill Biden told reporters during a preview of Wednesday's state dinner. The summit officially begins on Wednesday with a welcome including military bands, which will be followed by a meeting between Biden and Kishida. The two will then hold a joint news conference in the Rose Garden. On Thursday, Biden will host a summit between Japan, the US and the Philippines, which will be attended by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Kishida will also address the US Congress, the second Japanese leader to do so after the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.  This will be followed by a gala dinner hosted by the Bidens. Kishida's last visit to the US was in August last year, when he was also joined by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Last month, Biden announced he opposes the planned sale of the US Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, raising fears this could cause a potential rift between him and Kishida.  

The Ministry of National Defence (MND) tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and three military aircraft around Taiwan between 6 am on Wednesday and 6 am on Thursday, reported Taiwan News. "3 PLA aircraft and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," Taiwan Ministry of National Defence posted on X. According to MND, Of the three People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, none crossed the Taiwan Strait median line or entered the southwest corner of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA activity, as per Taiwan News. On April 3, Taiwan Defence Ministry detected 30 Chinese military aircraft and nine navy vessels operating around its nation between Tuesday 6 am and Wednesday 6 am, Taiwan Ministry of National Defence said. It added that 20 Chinese aircraft entered its northern middle line and Taiwan's southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ). In an official post on X, the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence posted said, "30 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's northern, middle line, and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate force to respond." Additionally, Taiwan tracked seven Chinese naval vessels and six military aircraft around the nation amid escalating cross-strait tensions on Tuesday, Taiwan News reported. According to Taiwan News, so far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 39 times and naval vessels 20 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan. Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force." Source: Economic Times

An airstrike in Lebanon "eliminated" a Hezbollah missile unit commander, the Israeli military says. Israel and the Iran-backed group have been trading cross-border fire for months on an almost daily basis. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday said it had killed a Hezbollah commander in an airstrike in Lebanon. The IDF identified the man as Ismail Al-Zin and said that he was a senior missile unit commander. "IAF aircraft struck a vehicle in the area of Kounine in Lebanon in which Ismail Al-Zin was located," the military said. "Al-Zin was a significant commander in the Anti-Tank Missile Unit of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces," the IDF said. The Israeli military posted up footage on social media platform X, showing infrared footage of a vehicle being hit by an air strike. On Saturday, three UN observers and a translator were injured by a shell that exploded near them as they patrolled outside of Rmeish in southern Lebanon. The IDF on Friday said it had killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, in an airstrike in the area of  Bazouriyeh in Lebanon. Hezbollah — a Shiite militant group that receives support from Iran — has been designated a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, Germany and other governments. The hostilities broke out after Hamas carried out its unprecedented deadly attacks on Israel on October 7. Hezbollah announced its support for Hamas, which is also designated a terrorist organization by many countries including the US and Germany. Hezbollah has said that at least 240 of its fighters have been killed since then. There have also been civilian casualties on both sides of the border and tens of thousands of people have fled the area.

Recent drills should serve as a reminder that China’s Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan is considered a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control and by force if necessary. China’s Navy Flexes Blue Water Muscles: A Glimpse into PLAN’s Expansive Maritime Operations and a Taiwan War Scenario - The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is conducting multiple operations this week, a sign of its continuing transition from a coastal defense force to a true blue water force. On Monday, a report published by Japan’s Defense Ministry showed three Chinese PLAN vessels transiting from the East China Sea to the Sea of China over the weekend via the Tsushima Strait. The warships are likely preparing for naval exercises with the Russian Navy. The Sea of Japan—known in the two Koreas as the East Sea—is a crowded waterway home to five nations’ commercial and strategic sea lines. It is also a go-to test site for North Korea’s ballistic missiles, while the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet is headquartered in the closed town of Fokino on the Peter the Great Gulf. The Chinese warships were reported to be the Type 054A frigate Daqing, the Type 903A replenishment ship Kekexilihu, and the Type 052D guided-missile destroyer (NATO reporting name Luyang III) Huainan. According to Newsweek, all three vessels are assigned to the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet under the Northern Theater Command. Although neither Beijing nor Moscow has announced any planned exercises, the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet was already active in the region and conducted combat drills against a simulated group of sea drones, according to Russian state media reports. China and Russia last held joint naval exercises in the Sea of Japan in July 2023. The deployment of the vessels from the PLAN’s North Sea Fleet followed live-fire exercises in the South China Sea, which included a group of Type 072III and Type 072A tank landing ships. These ships undertook training courses, including live-fire shooting against sea mine targets and side-by-side mooring. The vessels engaged in multi-course realistic combat exercises in an undisclosed area. At the same time, the Type 072 landing ships are designed to operate in waters nearer to the coast, ground on the shore, and then offload vehicles, troops, and cargo. The Chinese state-owned Global Times highlighted that the Type 072’s characteristics make them particularly useful in safeguarding China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights over islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Combined Force Drills The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command further conducted a series of joint combat exercises with the China Coast Guard (CCG) across multiple maritime regions amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Straits. The combined forces included units from the PLAN and People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). Though the CCG is a maritime security force that falls under the jurisdiction of law enforcement rather than the Chinese military, it has increasingly operated alongside the PLAN—and is seen by Western observers as essentially an auxiliary naval force. Its role has evolved significantly, and Beijing’s enactment of the new CCG law authorizes it to enforce China’s maritime claims beyond the boundaries recognized by the United Nations Convention and the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). Target Taiwan The multiple drills should serve as a reminder that China’s Communist Party (CCP) has laid claim to the self-ruling island nation of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan is considered a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control and by force if necessary.

Plans by the Myanmar junta to forcibly conscript young people have prompted thousands to flee the country. Many are trying to get to Thailand. Julian Küng reports from the border region. In the village of Wale, Thailand and Myanmar are connected by a small wooden bridge. The narrow river that flows beneath it constitutes the border. The villages on the two banks share the same name, and their lives are closely entwined. Locals carry rice and vegetables back and forth across the little footbridge; children splash and play in the water below. The Thai border guard in the observation post is paying far more attention to his cellphone than to the flow of commuters. The majority of people who cross here are from the local villages. In recent weeks, however, an unusually large number of young people from other parts of Myanmar have been crossing the border in this quiet village. "I can spot them straight away by their big rucksacks," said Tungsa, as she plays dominoes outside her general store on the Myanmar side of the river. 'If they make it here, they're safe' These young people are fleeing conscription into Myanmar's military. Thousands are seeking to go abroad before mandatory military service comes into effect in April, for men between 18 and 35 years old and women aged 18 to 27. Anyone who doesn't go into hiding risks being ordered, as a soldier, to commit war crimes. And refusing to do military service is punishable by several years in jail. "If they make it here, they're safe," said Tungsa. That's because the Myanmar side of Wale is controlled by the Karen National Union. It's one of the ethnic militias that are fighting the Myanmar army inside the country on several fronts. The military junta has suffered some bitter defeats in recent months. The United States Institute of Peace estimates that the Myanmar army has just 130,000 soldiers at most, and that only about half are combat-ready. Observers believe the impending obligatory conscription is a desperate attempt to forcibly augment their greatly reduced troop numbers. And so more and more young people trying to escape conscription are now thronging into neighboring Thailand. In the past few weeks, hundreds have been arrested by patrolling border police. Human rights activists report that, depending on the policeman or arresting authority, they may be detained, sent back over the border, or, on occasion, released on payment of a bribe. Porous 'green border' allows many to cross However, most refugees from Myanmar make it into Thailand undetected, either by sneaking across the porous, virtually unguarded jungle border, or by mingling with regular commuters. At the Ban Mun Ru Chai river border to the west of Wale, the Thai guard post isn't even staffed. A couple of goats who have taken up residence watch the many people crossing the river to the Thai side. The Thai government seems to have been wholly unprepared for the situation in Myanmar, said security expert Panitan Wattanayagorn, a professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. He assumes that fighting between the military junta and resistance groups will intensify over the coming months, and that forced conscription will continue to drive people across the border into Thailand. On the TV channel Thai PBS, Wattanayagorn warned that Bangkok urgently needs to put measures in place to deal with the impending influx of refugees from Myanmar. The Thai foreign minister has announced plans to establish a humanitarian security zone along the western border, providing refugees with food and medical assistance. However, authorities have not given any information about where exactly the protected zone would be located, or when it would be established. Meanwhile, only random checks are being carried out along the 2,000-kilometer (1,240-mile) border between Myanmar and Thailand. "I check people on a random basis," said the border guard in Wale. Last week, he arrested six people trying to escape conscription. But "sometimes I just let them through," he admited, fixing his attention on his plate of rice as three people from Myanmar scuttled unchallenged over the bridge. Thailand needs cheap workers from Myanmar People in Wale don't seem to fear an influx of refugees. "Just let them all in," said Pattanew, a motorcycle taxi driver who is at the waiting area near the border bridge. He transports day laborers on the back of his moped; they work for very little money, tending Thai fields and cleaning houses. "Without the migrant workers from Myanmar, we would have a lot of issues," he said. "They're very hardworking; they tolerate the sun and rain and don't complain." Most of his passengers work in the surrounding border region. The new refugees, on the other hand, mostly travel on to big cities like Bangkok, Chiang Mai or the migrant quarter of Samut Sakhon, where they find places to stay among their fellow countrymen. It's estimated there are between 2 and 3 million people from Myanmar living in Thailand. No one knows the exact number, as many are in the country illegally. One of them, a man in his early 20s, asked to be referred to by the pseudonym "Mao Uh." He's afraid that otherwise, he may be detected by the authorities' radar. Hoping for a work permit It has been almost a month since he left his family in Ayeyarwady, west of Yangon, and set out for Thailand. The journey was a nerve-wracking one. Every time he passed through one of the junta's checkpoints, he ran the risk of being detected and arrested. "I was very lucky," he said. Eventually he made it across the "green border" in the countryside, into Thailand. Since then, he has been holed up in a Bangkok suburb, in a stuffy room that he seldom leaves. He's worried about his sister back home. Like him, she faces being called up for military service. "We've already agreed that she'll follow as soon as I have work here," said Mao. Ideally, he would like to work in the security sector as a guard, protecting people. But essentially he's prepared to do any work, "no matter what, no matter where." Mao is hoping for a so-called worker amnesty from the Thai authorities. Four times a year, illegal migrants can apply for an amnesty that will allow them to work in the country legally for a certain period of time. However, labor lawyers are critical of the procedure; they say it's too complicated and susceptible to corruption, which is why many refugees from Myanmar simply work illegally. Thai authorities 'turning a blind eye' According to the International Labor Organization, the invisible migrant workers from Myanmar already contribute up to 6.6% of Thailand's GDP. Sompong Srakaew from the Labor Rights Promotion Network is convinced the influx of workers from the neighboring country will further support the economy. "It's good for the Thai economy, because employers need cheap workers to remain competitive," he said. Srakaew, who advocates for migrant rights, estimates more than 10,000 people fleeing conscription have already crossed the border, with more coming every day. "It seems that the Thai authorities are turning a blind eye, and allowing many to enter the country unofficially," he said.  

A vehicle containing explosives rammed into the military post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. At least seven soldiers have been killed in Pakistan after militants attacked a military post in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan. "The terrorists rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the post, followed by multiple suicide bombing attacks, which led to [the] collapse of [a] portion of a building," the statement said. Five soldiers were killed in the initial blast and another two in the ensuing gun battle. The military said six attackers, some wearing bomb vests, were also killed in the firefight. A newly formed militant group, Jaish-e-Fursan-e Muhammad, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and paid tribute to the troops who were "martyred." Attacks by militant groups in its border regions with Afghanistan have been on the rise, ever since the Islamist militant group Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) withdrew from a cease-fire in 2022. Islamabad many of the attacks were launched from Afghanistan. The Taliban in Afghanistan has repeatedly denied this.

Kim Jong Un has supervised North Korea's paratroop drills aimed at displaying his soldiers' ability after the most recent annual US-South Korean joint military exercises. North Korea's Kim Jong Un supervised paratroop drills aimed at displaying his soldiers' ability to occupy an "enemy region at a stroke," state media said Saturday.  "The North Korean leader also showed great satisfaction as his airborne soldiers occupied the simulated main enemy military targets at once," Korean Central News Agency said. The paratroop drills is a millitary exercise for airborne soldiers to attack in combat areas by parachuting from airplanes.  What the paratroop drills meant for Kim? Korean Central News Agency reported that the exercise was aimed at inspecting the paratroopers' readiness to be mobilized for any operational plan in surprise wartime circumstances. Images released by Pyongyang's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim's young daughter, Ju Ae, using binoculars to observe the drills, standing beside her father and senior military officials. According to the state media, the North Korean leader stressed the importance of applying realistic and scientific training methods for achieving maximum fighting efficiency on actual battlefields as required by modern warfare.  A comeback for US-South Korean joint drill? The North's paratroop drills came after the most recent annual  US-South Korean Freedom Shield drills military exercise. Pyongyang has shown particular sensitivity towards the joint air force exercises conducted by Washington and Seoul. Shortly after the announcement of the joint millitary exercises, the North had threatened the US and South Korea, describing the military exercises as a "threat that would be met with the appropriate response." Pyongyang later announced that Kim had guided a large-scale artillery drill involving a unit that it said was capable of striking the South Korean capital.  

After Beijing opens fifth base, experts warn it is gearing up for 2048 expiry of crucial treaty governing world’s southernmost continent. Perched on the bleak southern coast of Inexpressible Island, China’s new crucifix-shaped scientific research station in Antarctica has triggered alarm bells about Beijing’s ambitions in the world’s southernmost continent. The Qinling base, occupying 5,244 square metres near the deep bay of the Ross Sea, opened in February, and can operate through the brutal winter months while housing up to 80 people in summer. Qinling is expected to include a wharf for icebreaker ships and is well positioned to collect signals intelligence over Australia and New Zealand and telemetry data on rockets launched from Australia’s new Arnhem Space Centre, according to the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. It will also help China “fill in a major gap” in its ability to access Antarctica. The station is China’s fifth, on a par with other major actors in Antarctica, including the UK, Russia, and the United States, which has the largest research presence, including the biggest facility in its McMurdo base. But the speed of China’s expanding footprint has raised fears that Beijing is aiming to extend its surveillance capabilities, gain strategic control over valuable resources and shipping routes, or even establish a future military presence there in the future. Beijing, “like all parties has ambitions for Antarctica beyond science,” Dr Elizabeth Buchanan, an expert associate of the ANU National Security College, told The Telegraph. “The problem, for the West, broadly, becomes that China is more capable and credible in terms of concerns it might one day look to exploit its footprint for economic, and strategic, advantage. Any base could be refashioned for military purposes,” she added. Scramble for influence forecast Seven countries – the UK, Australia, France, New Zealand, Norway, Argentina and Chile – maintain territorial claims in Antarctica, which are not recognised by most other nations. The US and Russia have a “basis of claim”. In practice, the continent is governed by parties to the 1959 Antarctic Treaty, which restricts activities to “peaceful purposes only”. Military personnel can conduct scientific research but are banned from setting up bases, carrying out manoeuvres, or testing weapons. Protocols banning mining are open for revision in 2048, which may trigger a scramble for influence over minerals, including gold, chromium, uranium and coal, resources and territory. Countries may fight in the future to “provide security towards those mineral resources which are going to be very valuable in 10, 20 more years,” said Dr Carlos Solar, a senior research fellow in Latin American security at the Royal United Services Institute. By creating a fifth base, Beijing is declaring its strong focus in Antarctica even as other countries are receding from other parts of the world to focus on resources, he said. “China’s interests are to be in the best position that they can be for 2048,” Dr Solar added. Beijing’s Antarctic interests are purposefully framed “in a long-term decadal strategic manner,” said Dr Buchanan. For example, the position of the new base in the continent’s Pacific vector could give China the ability to draw a line from the eastern entry point of the Arctic Ocean straight down to Qinling, she explained. “This creates an interesting capability and future potential buffer for curtailing US seapower,” she added. Beijing rejects espionage claims A 2022 Pentagon report supported the view that China’s new infrastructure was likely to be intended in part to strengthen future claims to natural resources, and improve the capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army. This could mean increased surveillance as Qinling’s equipment “can concurrently be used for intercepting other nations’ satellite communications,” suggested the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies in a study last April. China has rejected claims that its stations will be used for espionage. Last month, its foreign ministry stated the construction of Qinling was “fully in line with international rules and procedures concerning Antarctica”. Source: Telegraph

Initial reports suggest there were no survivors after the Ilyushin Il-76 military cargo plane crashed in Russia's Ivanovo region. Russia said one of its Il-76 military cargo planes crashed shortly after takeoff from an airfield northeast of Moscow on Tuesday. "An Il-76 military transport aviation plane crashed in the Ivanovo region while taking off to perform a scheduled flight. On board were eight crew members and seven passengers," the defense ministry said. It added an engine fire during takeoff was the likely cause of the crash in the the Ivanovo region, around 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of Moscow. According to online reports, there were no survivors. Multiple unverified videos and photographs of a falling aircraft circulated on Russian social networks. Air traffic increased due to war in Ukraine  The Defense Ministry reported dozens of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia when the crash occurred. Ukrainian drones hit some targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow.  Russia has significantly increased the transport of troops and military equipment by air and land across its territory during its two-year war in Ukraine. In January, Russia said Ukraine had downed an Il-76 in the Belgorod region near the countries' shared border.  The four-engine Il-76 is a heavy-lift transport plane that has been in service with the Soviet and then Russian air forces since the 1970s.