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RAAF, United States Air Force (USAF) and Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) personnel are working side by side at Komatsu Air Base in Japan as part of Exercise Keen Sword 27, strengthening interoperability and sharing expertise on the F-35A Lightning II.

Australia and the Philippines continue to build shared military planning skills that make combined operations and activities a success.

Australian officers and sailors joined the nearly 6000-strong US Navy personnel as HMAS Perth operated with Carrier Strike Group 5 (CSG-5) on patrol in the South China Sea.

The Albanese Government has appointed Ms Kellie Parker to the role of National Armaments Director.

The Albanese Government has today introduced new legislation to protect Defence bases, personnel, and critical assets, as well as accelerate the development of capability Defence needs to keep Australians safe.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska participated in a meeting of the European Group of Five (E5) Defence Ministers in Paris on Monday (26 October 2026). They discussed ongoing support to Ukraine, European security and the situation in the Middle East. The meeting brought together representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

Minister of Defence of Ukraine Evgeniy Khmara addressed representatives of the defence ministries of the European Group of Five (E5) countries - Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Poland, and Italy. The key priorities are strengthening air defence now and ensuring timely funding for the production of Ukrainian unmanned systems.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) today released its new strategy, CISA 2030: Defend, Harden, Prevail, which advances President Trump's Cyber Strategy for America and National Resilience Strategy while strengthening the security and resilience of the nation's critical infrastructure.

On Saturday, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and Thom Tillis (R-NC) along with Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, sent letters to the CEOs of American banks, port authorities and fuel distributors, warning of the potential consequences of facilitating the importation of Russian diesel into the United States.

Security and defence

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U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and UK Secretary of State for Defence Wes Streeting are pleased to announce the designation of the USS Colorado (SSN 788) as the first U.S. Navy Virginia-class fast-attack submarine assigned to Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) beginning in late 2027.

"We, the Defence Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom (the Group of Five/E5), share a deep conviction: Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own security. We are determined to work in close coordination with the United States and all Allies in order to implement this concrete ambition. The United States is and will remain an indispensable Ally, and continued United States engagement in European security is essential to a strong and credible NATO."

Israel has committed war crimes and the crimes against humanity of extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians as it continues to commit genocide in Gaza, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report today.

For two years, a student-led protest movement tried to push Aleksandar Vucic, who led Serbia as either president or prime minister since 2014, from power. Over the weekend, they achieved their goal. But with no identifiable leader and no sharp policy focus, analysts say their real battle is just beginning.

The commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, visited the Strait of Hormuz on October 25, as US forces marked a milestone by helping Gulf countries export 1.5 billion barrels of oil through the waterway since the summer, CENTCOM said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war between Iran and the United States in remarks on Monday to journalists in Cairo, Egypt.

Top human rights experts investigating Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine said on Monday that the Russian authorities had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by attacking civilians and vital energy infrastructure, among other violations of international law.

Russian authorities have committed war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects and the crimes against humanity of other inhumane acts with continuous attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, said the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine in a new report submitted to the UN General Assembly.