Pacific

Mount Anak Krakatau eruption grounds over 200 flights at Jakarta airport

Ash was identified as high as 20,000 feet (6,000 meters) on the Java side of the volcano and a plume of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 meters) on the Sumatra side.

|ByREUTERS
Lava streams down from Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa) volcano during an eruption as seen from Rakata island in South Lampung on July 19, 2018.
A US Navy aircrew member gives a thumbs-up inside an MV-22 Osprey aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) while the ship is moored in Honolulu, Hawaii, during Exercise RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) 2026 on July 17, 2026.

US Southern Command strike kills two alleged narco-terrorists in Eastern Pacific

"Confirmed intelligence revealed the vessel's active involvement in narco-trafficking. The operation killed two narco-terrorists," SOUTHCOM said in a post on X/Twitter.

|ByREUTERS
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16. Israel became part of the US Central Command in 2021.

US military operations killed 153 civilians in 2025, official says, citing Pentagon assessment

President Donald Trump's administration has struck vessels that it accuses of transporting narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, casting its targets as "narco-terrorists."

|ByREUTERS
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Type 052D guided-missile destroyer Nanning sails into Victoria Harbour for a visit celebrating the 29th anniversary of the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule, in Hong Kong, China, July 2, 2026.

China submarine launch signals growing threat across western Pacific - analysis

China's test firing of the missile armed with a dummy warhead drew criticism from regional powers, with the US saying it was an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed in the Pacific Ocean.

|ByREUTERS

Eyeing China in the Pacific, US studies explosives to make missiles fly further

The House version of the annual defense bill requires the Pentagon to run a CL-20 pilot program that switches out either the explosive or propellant in three existing weapons.

AUGUST 2, 2023ByREUTERS
Israel, US begin the development of the Arrow 4 weapon system

Vital to protect pro-Israel UN votes from Pacific nations - opinion

Pressures from China may undermine the core reason certain Pacific nations have Israel's back at the United Nations.

JULY 23, 2023ByJONATHAN SCHANZER
President Shimon Peres meets with Palau president