Professional Military Education

In this interview, Grant Newsham discusses the state of the Japanese military as well as current events in the Indo-Pacific theater. Grant has first-hand experience helping develop the Japan Self-Defense Force’s (JSDF) amphibious capabilities. In this interview, we cover the following: An overview of the JSDF and why it has been underfunded and underappreciated for years. Why the Japanese needed to improve their amphibious capabilities and improve their joint operations.  Shifting attitudes in Japan toward the military How Grant and other American liaison officers worked to improve the JSDF  Differences in American and Japanese approaches to training with a specific focus on Exercises Dawn Blitz and Iron Fist from 2013 The current state of the JSDF and ability to work with U.S. armed forces nearly a decade later We also talk current events including: Analysis of China’s 20th Communist Party Congress How China’s zero COVID policy is designed to condition the population for hardship and to eliminate resistan