Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 81

Report: US Pacific Marines Strategy 2025

Pacific Marines simultaneously face both the most challenging terrain and the most dangerous adversaries across the geographic combatant commands. The Indo-Pacific is a vast and diverse region that includes the majority of the world’s population spread across 38 countries and thousands of islands. It includes both the world’s largest military and economic powers as well as some of the smallest.

Remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore (As Delivered)

Well, good morning. It is great to be in Singapore. And Bastian, thank you very much for your warm welcome. The Shangri-La Dialogue is an important forum for bringing together defense leaders from across the Indo-Pacific and the world. And I want to thank IISS for hosting us this morning. As was mentioned, I'm certainly proud to be back into the Indo-Pacific for the second time as the Secretary

Ex-Trump Official Lays Out Why China Might Be 'Worried' To Cut Tariff Deal

A former Trump administration official and expert on Asia highlighted on Friday why China might hesitate to strike a trade deal with the United States amid President Donald Trump's tariff threats. Tensions between Washington and Beijing hit a boiling point last month, when Trump ratcheted up tariffs on Chinese imports to a whopping 145 percent, to which China responded with a 125 percent

US Simulates Missile Strikes on Warships at China Choke Point

The United States has conducted a simulated military operation using anti-ship weapons during a war game in the Philippines, as China expands its naval presence in nearby contested waters. The Philippines—Washington's mutual defense treaty ally—is part of the First Island Chain, along with Japan and Taiwan, under the U.S. containment strategy, which seeks to restrict China's naval access to the

China Accuses Trump of Violation, Threatens 'Forceful Measures'

China accused the U.S. of violating an agreement made at their tariff-cutting discussions in Geneva in May, and said it will take further action as the trade dispute between the world's two largest economies blows open again.President Donald Trump's administration has in recent days issued AI chip export control guidelines, stopped the sale of chip design software to China, and is planning to

Xi Jinping's Daughter Faces Call to be Deported From US

Chinese President Xi Jinping's daughter is facing calls to be deported by far-right conservative commentator Laura Loomer. Xi Jinping's daughter, Xi Mingze, graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology in 2014.Loomer said that Xi Mingze still resides in Massachusetts as a foreign student. However, there is no publicly available evidence that she remains in the

Beijing Hits Back After Hegseth Calls China a Threat

China has it back at Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after he described the country as a threat to the United States, amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing. "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation," the Chinese foreign ministry said.Hegseth said on Saturday that

Australia asks China to explain 'extraordinary' military build-up

Australia's defence minister Richard Marles has called on China to explain why it needs to have "such an extraordinary military build-up". He said Beijing needs to provide greater transparency and reassurance as it is the "fundamental issue" for the region.Meanwhile, the Philippines defence minister Gilberto Teodoro Jr has called China "absolutely irresponsible and reckless" in its actions in the

The fallout from Trump's war on Harvard will long outlast his presidency

Donald Trump has had a busy seven days. On Monday, he threatened to redirect $3bn in Harvard research funding to vocational schools. On Tuesday, the White House sent a letter to federal agencies, instructing them to review the approximately $100m in contracts the government has awarded Harvard and "find alternative vendors" where possible. On Wednesday, he had more to say on the matter still."

Tim Cook paying the price for Apple’s bow to China

Tim Cook may run the world’s most valuable company, Apple, but let’s stop pretending he’s ever done anything genuinely revolutionary. The man is an efficient operator, a disciplined executor, a logistics wizard.But when it comes to vision—the kind that reshapes reality and bends the future to its will—Cook falls short. He’s a caretaker. A man polishing someone else’s crown while convincing the