Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM celebrated its 50th year of publication in 2025 with an anniversary edition of the magazine and a special web story each month highlighting milestones in expanding and strengthening relationships among the United States and its Allies and Partners. Read the full stories again at the links below and then tell us your favorite and why you liked it in the comments section.
Military, political and socioeconomic forces have shaped the Indo-Pacific over the past five decades as it became arguably the world’s most consequential region.
The U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy, a “floating medical marvel,” has provided humanitarian assistance and disaster response to the region for more than 40 years.
Fifty years after Papua New Guinea achieved independence from Australia and formed its Defence Force, the nations’ troops will be able to serve in each other’s forces under a new treaty.
The covenant creating the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands was approved in 1975. The archipelagic territory is poised to celebrate five decades as a commonwealth in March 2026 — the 50th anniversary of then-U.S. President Gerald Ford signing the joint resolution creating the commonwealth “in political union with the U.S.”
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s long-standing engagement in the region reflects its shared history with other Indo-Pacific forces and its goals of achieving mutual benefits together, such as a free, prosperous and secure region.
In 2025, Indonesia celebrated the 80th anniversary of its Constitution amid growing security cooperation with Australia, the U.S. and other regional Allies and Partners.
The Australia-U.S. exercise Talisman Sabre has evolved over the past 20 years as it honed the skills of tens of thousands of troops and strengthened interoperability among Allies and Partners. In 2025, the exercise staged drills outside Australia for the first time, with the PNG Defence Force hosting joint activities with the Australian Defence Force and U.S. forces.
The strategically critical alliance between Thailand and the U.S. has endured for more than 70 years, with notable achievements including the annual Cobra Gold exercise.
Since 1975, PNG has established itself as a vital partner in upholding Indo-Pacific security and stability by embedding itself in regional defense initiatives.
Indonesia observed its military’s 80th anniversary in October 2025. The Indonesian National Armed Forces, which has more than 400,000 personnel, formed two months after the nation declared its independence following World War II.
The Philippine Marine Corps celebrated its 75th anniversary and continued to deepen defense collaboration. A leading example is the Marine Corps’ debut of a supersonic anti-ship missile battery acquired from India and based in Western Luzon.
Since the early 1950s, two key partnerships have anchored stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific: the U.S.’s alliances with Japan and the Republic of Korea. Now the nations are strengthening their trilateral partnership.