Laboratory technicians work on samples to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus at a testing facility in Wuhan, China on August 4, 2021. (Getty Images)
A production line of the Glide, a high-altitude glider that delivers munitions across thousands of miles, is seen at the defense tech startup Mach Industries in Huntington Beach, California, on September 11, 2025. (Getty Images)
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui during a meeting in Moscow on July 19, 2026. (Getty Images)
A Philippine Air Force Black Hawk helicopter lands on June 29, 2023, on Mavulis Island, which is the Philippines’ northernmost island and is roughly 88 miles from Taiwan. (Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Taiwanese Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) vehicles launch projectiles during a live-fire training exercise in Taichung on June 10, 2026. (Getty Images)
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force mid-range multi-purpose missile is fired during a live-fire exercise at the East Fuji Maneuver Area on June 7, 2026, in Gotemba, Japan. (Getty Images)
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Takeshi Iwaya meets NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the NATO summit on June 24, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands. (Getty Images)
A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Uzushio-class submarine participates in an international fleet review at Sagami Bay on November 6, 2022, off Yokosuka, Japan. (Getty Images)