Chinese military personnel take part in a rehearsal ahead of a parade commemorating the eightieth anniversary of victory in World War II in Beijing on August 20, 2025. (Pedro Pardo via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
US Commerce Secretary Howard William Lutnick and Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization Ryosei Akazawa shake hands on on September 4, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)
Arleigh Burke–class guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) sails in formation during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise on July 28, 2022. (DVIDS)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
A microchip and Taiwanese flag displayed on a phone screen are seen in this multiple exposure illustration photo on April 10, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki via Getty Images)
An artillery detachment conducts live fire at night in Huaibei city, Anhui province, China, on July 10, 2023. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
US Marines remove “Amy,” an uncrewed surface vehicle, from the water during Technology Operational Experimentation Event 23.1 on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 21, 2023. (US Marine Corps photo)
A fan poses for a photo as a sailing ship bearing a portrait of Inter Miami CF's Argentine forward Lionel Messi sails across the Victoria Harbor on February 3, 2024, in Hong Kong, China. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)
Japan's Self-Defense Forces 1st Airborne Brigade conduct descent training with allies US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, and Philippines on January 7, 2024, at Camp Narashino training area in Tokyo, Japan. (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)