Ray Powell & Jim Carouso dive into the dramatic 11 August 2025 South China Sea incident Scarborough Shoal.

Collecting and reporting maritime intelligence is a core mission of China’s maritime militia.

The Mission Ready Podcast sits down with Ray Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force officer with 35 years of experience, to unpack key issues shaping the region: ➡️ U.S.–China relations & historical context ➡️ Defense strategy shifts in the Philippines ➡️ Multinational military exercises like Balikatan ➡️ Maritime transparency and public-private partnerships ➡️ China’s civil-military fusion strategy

China’s approach in the South China Sea is becoming far more aggressive. How does America view the rise of grey zone conflicts in the Indo-Pacific? In this illuminating episode, Ray Powell and James Carouso, hosts of the “Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?” podcast, dive into the critical importance of this region for global security and its implications for the second term of the Trump administration.

On this episode of the Defense Tech Underground , SeaLight Director Ray Powell describes his 35 year career in the United States Air Force, his path to Stanford, and his journey to founding SeaLight. He explains China’s gray zone tactics in the South China Sea and SeaLight’s efforts to shed light on those activities. Ray offers insight into needed countermeasures to build up readiness and deterrence as well as the broader geopolitical landscape in the Indo-Pacific.

China Maritime Report No. 46 from the U.S. Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute

Ray Powell, director of the Sealight initiative at Stanford University's Gordian Knott Center for National Security Innovation and host of the "Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific Podcast," joins Eric and CGSP Southeast Asia Editor Edwin Shri Bimo to discuss why the national security team in Washington remains appears to be more committed to the Philippines than other alliance partners.

Al Jazeera documentary on the tensions between the Philippines and China over the South China Sea.

Pressure Points by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyzes the Chinese military's use of air and maritime coercion to enforce Beijing's excessive territorial claims and advance China's security and defense interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The Submarine Cable Map is a free and regularly updated resource from TeleGeography.

There are some notable attendees – hello, Kim Jong Un – but just as interesting is who’s not coming.

The Chinese coast guard ship damaged in a collision with a Chinese naval vessel in the South China Sea earlier this month is now under repair at Hainan Island, according to satellite images seen by Reuters - the first confirmation that it made it back to port.

China has ramped up its maritime presence in the South China Sea near its rival the Philippines after a collision between two Chinese government ships earlier this month left a China coast guard vessel seriously damaged and Beijing seriously embarrassed.

A recent incident between the Philippine Coast Guard and China’s maritime forces could presage a change in tactics by the latter. If this is so, tensions in the disputed area might head north.

A Chinese research vessel approached close to the Philippine coastline on Saturday morning before switching off its tracking system, a maritime security analyst reported.

After a Chinese navy destroyer and coast guard vessel collided during an attempt to disrupt a Philippine resupply mission, both sides will likely dig their heels in and heat things up, says S Rajaratnam School of International Studies’ Collin Koh.

There are now two Chinese research vessels in the vicinity of Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, which came nine days after the collision of their own ships there, a West Philippine Sea monitor said on Wednesday.

Two Chinese warships collided in the South China Sea on 11 August, as the country worryingly ramps up pressure on and bullying of the Philippines. The incident occurred within 10 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal, which lies within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but which China illegally seized in 2012.

The collision between a China Coast Guard Ship and a PLA Navy vessel is an ominous warning sign.

The Newnew Polar Bear on August 15 made port call in the north Russian city of Arkhangelsk. At the same time, two of its sister ships sailed along the Norwegian coast.