Category: Security policy

New security policy constellation in East Asia: Japan takes centre stage

One of the most significant developments in the Western Pacific is Tokyo's emerging rapprochement with Seoul and Manila in terms of security policy. Even after almost 80 years, the resentment from the Second World War and the decades before is still very much alive in East Asia. This is particularly pronounced in South Korea and the Philippines, where many people still harbour negative attitudes towards Japan and the dispute over war-related reparations payments continues. This circumstance has also characterised the security policy relations between these countries to date. However, the dual threat from China and North Korea has recently led to a rethink. There is a growing realisation that the time has come...

Weiterlesen

Calling challenges by name

For almost a decade, the Baltic Commanders' Conference has provided a platform for western Baltic Sea neighbours to exchange experiences. The aim is also to jointly implement projects. Kiel-Wik naval base, middle of the last decade. Two flag officers, both former speedboat drivers and therefore at home in the Baltic Sea, one commander of the fleet, the other flotilla commander, stand in the staff building of Flotilla 1 and look out over the berths at the base. There are far too few boats to practise demanding scenarios on their own in addition to their ongoing duties. Too little capacity to organise complex, multi-dimensional training projects. Admittedly, this is not a fundamentally new...

Weiterlesen

Strengthening maritime co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region and the role of Japan

With an increasingly aggressive China, westernised Japan has an important role to play in the Indo-Pacific. Under its leadership, a collective security alliance could be created in the region. I retired from the Japanese Self-Defence Forces in 2009 after serving as Chief of Staff of the General Staff. Fifteen years have passed since then, and during that time a tsunami caused a major disaster in eastern Japan. There was also a global pandemic caused by Covid-19. Humanity still does not have the wisdom or the ability to control and prevent such major disasters. On the other hand, we believed that...

Weiterlesen

 "What does the Black Sea teach us?"

The Kiel International Seapower Symposium is an annual highlight for the security policy community. It offers academics and practitioners an excellent opportunity to exchange knowledge. Under the motto "(Re-)Learning War - Lessons from the Black Sea", the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University organised the Kiel International Seapower Symposium (KISS) together with the German Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies for the first time this year. Traditionally, the high-calibre conference coincided with the start of this year's Kiel Week and the port call of the participants of the annual Baltops naval manoeuvre. Access marineforum digital+ Are you already a registered user? Log in here now - also...

Weiterlesen

The general shipbuilding policy situation - a question of safety

The recent SMM trade fair was a global meeting place for maritime technology and commerce. The MS&D conference, Maritime Security and Defence, addressed key geopolitical issues that are of great importance in the maritime industry. Up to now, the rise and fall of major shipbuilding nations - from the UK to continental Europe and Japan to Korea - has been strongly linked to industrial and trade policy conditions and influence. In the case of China, a differentiated picture emerges. The deployment of enormous state financial resources, estimated at around 200 billion dollars in just over a decade, can only be conclusively explained by geostrategic aspects: Access marineforum...

Weiterlesen
en_GBEnglish