The White House (via OMB) strongly protests Congressional efforts within the FY 2027 NDAA to prohibit the purchase of warships from foreign shipyards. The Administration argues that these restrictions undermine national security by limiting flexibility and hindering its strategy of leveraging allied yards, such as in the 'Finland model,' to drive investment into U.S. shipbuilding capacity. This signals a significant policy shift toward integrating international partners into advanced naval construction, suggesting the Pentagon is prepared to bypass traditional domestic build requirements for future combat vessels.
Simulating Southeast Asias Nuclear Security Crisis Responses
English Summary
An IISS crisis simulation found that Southeast Asian nations lack the 'strategic bandwidth' and specialized literacy required to manage a major nuclear-security escalation involving great powers. Centered on a 2031 scenario of a missing nuclear submarine, the exercise highlighted that regional states rely on the SEANWFZ Treaty as a baseline but struggle to bridge the divide between China and the AUKUS partnership. Consequently, the report recommends that ASEAN enhance domestic inter-agency coordination and utilize the ADMM-Plus framework to more effectively address nuclear-related regional security threats.
中文摘要
國際戰略研究所 (IISS) 的一場危機模擬發現,東南亞國家缺乏應對涉及大國重大核安全升級所需的「戰略頻寬」與專業素養。該演習以 2031 年核潛艦失蹤的場景為中心,凸顯出區域國家雖以《東南亞無核武器區條約》(SEANWFZ) 為基準,但在彌合中國與 AUKUS 夥伴關係的分歧方面仍感吃力。因此,報告建議東協應加強國內跨部門協調,並利用東協國防部長擴大會議 (ADMM-Plus) 架構,以更有效地應對與核相關的區域安全威脅。
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