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.

Taiwan Security Monitor (TSM) is a student-driven research initiative dedicated to informing and improving the public discourse on cross-Strait security issues. Focused on the intersection of open-source research, geospatial data, and policy analysis, TSM provides timely and valuable insights into the evolving cross-Strait security landscape. TSM’s lines of effort includes tracking major military movements, maintaining a comprehensive repository of resources related to cross-Strait security, analyzing visual imagery, and compiling historical data on foreign military sales to Taiwan. By leveraging open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools and techniques, TSM’s team of student researchers monitor key developments and present clear, data-driven insights for policymakers, journalists, researchers, and the public. TSM is directed by Dr. Michael Hunzeker, an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Government and Policy.

In the absence of a submarine to protect the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), substitute or alternative capabilities “will do,” according to Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr.

China has accused Japan—a United States treaty ally in Northeast Asia—of sending spy planes to its so-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the contested East China Sea.

U.S. to Construct Philippine Fast Boat Base Near South China Sea Flashpoints Aaron-Matthew Lariosa July 14, 2025 5:29 PM Marines and Sailors assigned to Maritime Reconnaissance Platoon, Reconnaissance Company, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, survey a boat lane for obstacles and simulated vessels of interest off the coast of Palawan, Philippines in 2024. US Marine Corps Photo The U.S. plans to fund and build a facility capable of hosting watercraft and assault boats on the western coast of Palawan in support of Manila’s operations into the disputed waters of the South China Sea, according to new documents.

Philippine Coast Guard Intercepts Chinese Spy Ship Aaron-Matthew Lariosa July 13, 2025 8:18 AM BRP Teresa Magbanua (MRRV-9701) hails the People’s Liberation Army Navy Type 815G-class electronic surveillance ship Tianwangxing on July 12, 2025. Philippine Coast Guard photo A Philippine Coast Guard cutter intercepted a Chinese Navy spy ship within Manila’s western exclusive economic zone over the weekend.

Vietnam recently deployed a ship to intercept a Chinese survey vessel operating off its east coast, according to ship tracking data. The Chinese vessel spent much of the second half of June within Vietnam's maritime zone, in what Hanoi says is a violation of its sovereignty.

Japan is in talks with the Philippines over a potential transfer of used navy destroyers and maritime surveillance aircraft, as part of Tokyo’s efforts to bolster Manila’s defense capabilities amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

The USS George Washington’s Manila port call comes just days after China deployed two of its carriers to the Western Pacific for military drills

Chinese officials have asked that a Filipino documentary be removed from future screenings at the New Zealand Doc Edge Festival, saying doing so would be in the interest of Chinese-New Zealand relations.

Squaring the circle between public opinion and political rhetoric.

The first five land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher vehicles, along with a radar truck, have arrived in Taiwan from the United States, a source familiar with the matter told CNA Saturday.