Aaron-Matthew Lariosa Profile picture
Tracking defense in the Indo-Pacific with a focus on 🇵🇭🇺🇸. @USNINews & @Navalnewscom. Opinions my own. 📧: aarronmldef@gmail.com
Jul 23 8 tweets 3 min read
More photos of last week’s Transferrable Rearming Mechanism demonstration at NSWC Port Hueneme were released today. Some observations and thoughts. 🧵 1/7
(Photo courtesy of Craig Weiman, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory) The missile canister is transferred to from the supply ship to warship via CONREP. While this method has been used for decades for provisions and munitions, it is unclear how the missile gets to the VLS cell banks during the replenishment. 2/7 (Photo courtesy of Craig Weiman, Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Laboratory)
Apr 24 23 tweets 5 min read
🇵🇭🇺🇸🇦🇺🇫🇷 BALIKATAN 2024 THREAD: Almost 17,000 personnel from four countries are coming together in 🇵🇭 for the country’s annual premier military exercise. The following thread will document Balikatan’s developments between April 22-May 10. 🧵 (U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Erica Stanke) 1/ news.usni.org/2024/04/22/bal…
Aug 12, 2023 15 tweets 6 min read
“That's an illegal blockade, and what is needed is a strategy to lift, break or circumvent it.”

🇨🇳 probably won’t lift it, and breaking through it on the water risks an incident. However, circumventing via air is another story. 🧵 1/13 https://t.co/UCPWsSrswl
Image In previous blockades where the Chinese refused to move the Philippine Navy used their helicopters to fly over the coast guard and maritime militia vessels. If China wants to stop aircraft they would have to shoot them down. 2/13 globalnation.inquirer.net/217657/afp-mul…
Jun 27, 2023 9 tweets 5 min read
AAR Future Capabilities. 🧵 on the 🇵🇭 Army Artillery Regiment’s 125th Anniversary Ceremony: 1/7 Land-Based Missile System: The Philippine Army is expected to procure at least two batteries of 🇮🇳 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. Manila’s first BrahMos’, ordered for the Philippine Navy in 2022, will be in country by December. 2/7
Apr 16, 2023 17 tweets 8 min read
The reach of the 🇵🇭 Hermes 900 fleet from @ThrustWR. Zach created this map as a result of our conversation on the Philippine Air Force’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance capabilities. The following 🧵 covers some of the major points from that discussion. 1/17 Image On March 31st, an inspection ceremony was held at Clark Air Base for a refurbished C-130T aircraft. While one would expect the point of the ceremony to be on highlighting the PAF’s lift capabilities, the real focus was on displaying the PAF’s ISR capabilities. 2/17 Image
Apr 12, 2023 33 tweets 8 min read
Documenting Balikatan 2023: This year’s exercise is the largest to date, with around 17k participants and new activities. The following 🧵 details the various activities and developments in relation to #Balikatan2023 as they come out. Image 1/
Mar 8, 2023 7 tweets 4 min read
An interesting read from Philippine Army Journal 2022 on how the PA can contribute to the AFP’s coastal defense mission. A 🧵 on the author’s proposals.

drive.google.com/file/d/1tCfOpZ…

1/6 The creation of a specialized army unit focusing on coastal defense, taking either the form of a division or branch in the PA. 2/6
Mar 6, 2023 6 tweets 2 min read
🇵🇭🇮🇳 security highlights from @shambhukumaran’s interview on Gising Na. 🧵 1/6

“We would like to see more engagement between our militaries, joint exercises. Already we have seen an enhancement in our defense training…” 2/6
Feb 11, 2023 19 tweets 8 min read
Clark was expected, as it’s pretty much a civilian airport at this point. However, don’t count Subic out yet. A thread 1/18🧵:

japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/02/1… Naval Base Subic Bay was a massive base, encompassing the entire bay. It’s facilities rivaled (or even topped) Yokosuka in many ways. 2/18
Jan 31, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
This leap in 🇵🇭🇺🇸 security may come as a surprise to some, but if one looks at what 2022 brought I think it should be fair to say this was at least a year in the making. As well as a sign of the major things to come. A small 🧵 Starting off, to those who say that 🇵🇭 is an outlier/negilable in a 🇹🇼 contingency are wrong. This thought completely ignores the strategic position 🇵🇭 occupies in relation the flashpoints and choke points around it. Have some forgetten why 🇺🇸 has bases in 🇵🇭 in the first place?
Jan 29, 2023 9 tweets 3 min read
American and Imperial Japanese fleets start to come within sight of each other at today’s First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal @GUWargaming session. Firing will commence soon Uh oh
Dec 30, 2022 27 tweets 16 min read
2022 was a major year for the Philippines defense wise. From some of the most complex exercises the country has ever seen, to the delivery of new assets, and enhanced security cooperation with partners and allies, here are some of the key highlights from 🇵🇭 this year.
🧵 1/25 (Photo by Sgt. Melanye Martinez) Exercises: The Philippines hosts several military activities every year, yet 2022’s exercises turned out to be some of the most intensive and complex in recent times. 2/25 Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regi