Drone is first of new wave of lower-cost autonomous weapons the Pentagon is funding through its Replicator programme – an effort to field new systems by August 2025 to help counter Chinese capabilities.
Top defense officials from the US, Australia, Japan, and the Philippines gathered in Hawaii, vowing to strengthen cooperation amid concerns over China s actions in the South China Sea. This meeting follows their joint naval exercises in the region last month. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted the drills importance in enhancing collaboration and upholding international law. The officials discussed increasing the frequency of defense exercises, emphasizing their commitment to a rules-based order. The US has longstanding defense treaties with all three nations, aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation in the region.
North Korea launched several short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, prompting condemnation from South Korea as a threat to Korean peninsula stability. Japan also reported the launch, with the missiles landing outside its exclusive economic zone. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command noted the launch but assessed no immediate threat to personnel or allies. This comes amid growing military cooperation between North Korea and Moscow, including suspicions of arms supplies from Pyongyang to Russia for the Ukraine conflict.