South Korea’s military intelligence agency told lawmakers Wednesday that North Korea has likely completed preparations for its seventh nuclear test.

The general in charge of the Marine Corps’ Indo-Pacific field command recently visited Ishigaki island for the first time, signaling U.S. resolve to defend Japan as it faces increasing provocations from China, experts say.

The aircraft carrier USS George Washington led a U.S. Navy contingent in a large-scale exercise near Okinawa with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.

A squadron of F-16 Fighting Falcons recently became the latest to complete a fighter rotation on Okinawa as Kadena Air Base awaits a permanent contingent of advanced aircraft.

Sixty-five Navy sailors, alongside Japan Ground Self-Defense Force counterparts, treated Marines and Japanese troops with simulated burn, blast and gunshot wounds from an imagined battle as a part of Keen Sword.

A Chinese space ship carrying a three-person crew docked with its orbiting space station Tuesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space in competition with the United States, even as it looks for cooperation from other nations.

Air Force aircraft maintainers are not required to sign nondisclosure agreements, but those who don’t sign them cannot hear quarterly, confidential briefs on aircraft mishaps and will not be privy to information that could help prevent further mishaps.

More than 6,000 people have enlisted in the U.S. military through a pilot program’s relaxed requirements, which allow recruits to enter basic training with previously disqualifying medical conditions.

Sunday’s election could result in a weak ruling coalition that raises doubts about whether Japan would continue to take a leadership role on global issues, like the war in Ukraine and supporting Taiwan against a more assertive China.

More patients are being seen at Camp Humphreys’ hospital, officials say.

Philippine facilities made available to U.S. forces under a decade-old defense pact may serve as disaster-relief command centers, according to a Philippine military spokeswoman.

Three Marines were aboard a Japanese Osprey tiltrotor aircraft when it hit the ground and was damaged during a joint U.S.-Japanese exercise over the weekend.

When the primary arrived on Aug. 20, the small U.S. village of Kaktovik’s polling station didn’t open. There was nowhere for the village’s 189 registered voters to cast a ballot.

North Korea said Tuesday its top diplomat is visiting Russia, in another sign of their deepening relations as rival South Korea and Western nations say the North has sent thousands of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

China said all systems are ready to launch the next crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday, the latest mission to make the country a major space power.

The U.S. Treasury Department, seeking to keep the Chinese military from gaining an edge in advanced technologies, issued a rule Monday to restrict and monitor American investments in China in artificial intelligence, computer chips and quantum computing.

“We are increasingly concerned that Russia intends to use these soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary.

The Chinese navy recently sent one of its newest warships into the South Pacific as Beijing and Washington continue to compete for influence in the region.