Analysis - MGG Geopolitics

Papua New Guinea Opens Allied Military Drill Days After Australia Defence Pact Takes Effect

Papua New Guinea has formally opened a multinational military exercise with forces from Australia, the United States and New Zealand, days after a new mutual-defence treaty elevated Port Moresby and Canberra to allies committed to integrating their armed forces more closely. Soldiers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and US Army stood together at Murray Barracks in Port Moresby on 13 July for the opening of Tamiok Strike 26. The exercise, led by the PNGDF and US Army Pacific, runs across

Analysis

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 14, 2026 — 3 min read

How US Missile Deployments Near Taiwan Are Becoming a Fixture in the Philippines

A chain of Philippine islands stretching south from Taiwan is becoming a recurring operating ground for American and allied missile forces, as temporary exercises evolve into longer rotations designed to defend strategic waters from China. The Hawaii-based 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment spent roughly three months in the Philippines this year, moving anti-ship launchers and air-defence systems through the country during the Balikatan and KAMANDAG exercises. In the northernmost Batanes and Babuyan

Analysis United States

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 14, 2026 — 4 min read

US Deepens Guam Submarine Support Amid China Missile Threat

The US Navy is building Guam into a more capable submarine hub, able to keep its boats ready closer to potential flashpoints in Asia. The arrival of USS Tucson this month—an outwardly routine exchange of one vessel for another—highlights the supporting network behind that effort. USS Tucson, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine commissioned in 1995, reached its new home port at Naval Base Guam in July. Navy photographs and captions show the boat arriving on 10 July, although the

Analysis Naval

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 13, 2026 — 3 min read

Canada’s TKMS Submarine Bet Comes With Strategic Costs

Canada has chosen a highly capable German submarine and a partnership that fits comfortably within its established NATO role. It has also passed up a rarer opportunity to connect its Arctic defence requirements with its ambitions in the Indo-Pacific. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on 6 July that TKMS had been selected as the preferred supplier for as many as 12 new submarines, beating South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean in the largest defence procurement Canada has attempted. The German shipbuild

Analysis Defence Exports

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 11, 2026 — 4 min read

Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness: Is the Quad Moving Fast Enough?

The Indo-Pacific maritime surveillance picture is becoming clearer. In May 2026, Australia, India, Japan and the United States launched the Indo-Pacific Maritime Surveillance Collaboration, or IPMSC. The new Quad initiative will coordinate national surveillance efforts, facilitate real-time information sharing and initially concentrate on the Indian Ocean. The announcement builds upon the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, known as IPMDA. Launched in 2022, IPMDA supplies r

Analysis Naval

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 10, 2026 — 7 min read

Belgium's €3.1 Billion Skyranger Deal Puts Rheinmetall at the Centre of Europe's Air Defence

Belgium confirmed a €3.1 billion air-defence package at the NATO summit in Ankara on 8 July, built around 20 Rheinmetall Skyranger short-range systems. The deal also takes in 10 NASAMS launchers and 14 Ground Master 200 radars, bought through existing Dutch framework contracts to speed delivery. Defence minister Theo Francken set out the plan as the country's first serious rebuild of a mobile air-defence layer it has largely gone without since the early 2010s. The systems are meant to cover cri

Europe Land Systems

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 9, 2026 — 3 min read

What CARAT Thailand Reveals About Indo-Pacific Alliances: A Web of Diverging Interests

Thai and American forces opened the 32nd iteration of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training, known as CARAT, at Sattahip on 6 July. This year's version included two firsts: the debut of US Coast Guard fast response cutters in the exercise, and the integration of a Royal Canadian Navy boarding team alongside American and Thai sailors. The opening ceremony produced the expected images of allied unity, with a Thai admiral and an American admiral shaking hands at Laem Tian Pier. Look past the h

Analysis United States

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 8, 2026 — 4 min read

Germany Expands Its Arrow 3 Shield as Europe's Air Defence Autonomy Slips

Germany has confirmed plans for a second site for its Arrow 3 missile shield (July 1), the interceptor that will guard its cities against ballistic attack from beyond the atmosphere. The system is Israeli-led and needed American approval to be sold. It is not European, and that is the dilemma of Europe's rearmament. The continent's most ambitious territorial missile defence, fielded by its wealthiest power, is not built in Europe. Germany dreams, as the rest of the continent does, of arming it

Analysis Europe

MGG Geopolitics

Jul 7, 2026 — 4 min read