Collecting and reporting maritime intelligence is a core mission of China’s maritime militia.

The Mission Ready Podcast sits down with Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force officer with 35 years of experience, to unpack key issues shaping the region: ➡️ U.S.–China relations & historical context ➡️ Defense strategy shifts in the Philippines ➡️ Multinational military exercises like Balikatan ➡️ Maritime transparency and public-private partnerships ➡️ China’s civil-military fusion strategy

China’s approach in the South China Sea is becoming far more aggressive. How does America view the rise of grey zone conflicts in the Indo-Pacific? In this illuminating episode, Ray Powell and James Carouso, hosts of the “Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?” podcast, dive into the critical importance of this region for global security and its implications for the second term of the Trump administration.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground , SeaLight Director Ray Powell describes his 35 year career in the United States Air Force, his path to Stanford, and his journey to founding SeaLight. He explains China’s gray zone tactics in the South China Sea and SeaLight’s efforts to shed light on those activities. Ray offers insight into needed countermeasures to build up readiness and deterrence as well as the broader geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific.

China Maritime Report No. 46 from the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute

Ray Powell, director of the Sealight initiative at Stanford University's Gordian Knott Center for National Security Innovation and host of the "Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific Podcast," joins Eric and CGSP Southeast Asia Editor Edwin Shri Bimo to discuss why the national security team in Washington remains appears to be more committed to the Philippines than other alliance partners.

Al Jazeera documentary on the tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea.

Pressure Points by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyzes the Chinese military's use of air and maritime coercion to enforce Beijing's excessive territorial claims and advance China's security and defense interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The Submarine Cable Map is a free and regularly updated resource from TeleGeography.

Taiwan Security Monitor (TSM) is a student-driven research initiative dedicated to informing and improving the public discourse on cross-Strait security issues. Focused on the intersection of open-source research, geospatial data, and policy analysis, TSM provides timely and valuable insights into the evolving cross-Strait security landscape. TSM’s lines of effort includes tracking major military movements, maintaining a comprehensive repository of resources related to cross-Strait security, analyzing visual imagery, and compiling historical data on foreign military sales to Taiwan. By leveraging open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools and techniques, TSM’s team of student researchers monitor key developments and present clear, data-driven insights for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the public. TSM is directed by Dr. Michael Hunzeker, an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Government and Policy.

The Philippines joined the recently-concluded coast guard drills of the United States and Japan in what experts see as a “counter-China” move and a nod to “minilateralism” amid the regional power’s growing aggression.

Satellite photos reveal China is using the cover of global turmoil to push its boundaries deeper into neighbouring territory.

China is increasingly using research and survey ships to act as proxies for military and intelligence operations, according to SeaLight, a maritime transparency initiative monitoring Chinese activities in the South China Sea.

China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early Friday, 61 of which crossed the central line in the Taiwan Strait that unofficially divides the sides, an unusually large number as tensions remained heightened in the region.

The Philippines has released footage showing its coast guard responding Wednesday to reports of "illegal swarming" by dozens of ships belonging to China's so-called Maritime Militia.

Regional tensions rise as China ignores international law and coerces neighbors

The Philippines' defense chief has again pushed back against China's claim that hosting U.S. missiles in the country amounts to a provocation. "It's none of China's business; it's for Philippine defense," Gilberto Teodoro said in a recent interview with 60 Minutes when asked to respond to Beijing's objections.

AUnited States nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was conducting operations in the contested South China Sea, the Navy said, to showcase its ability to maintain warfighting advantages.

Russia and China have deployed vessels to waters around Japan, with both ships tracked loitering off the coast of the United States' ally, a Newsweek map shows.

The Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) will provide a basis for a greater interaction between the Filipino and Japanese defense forces, a ranking Philippine Navy (PN) official said.