Colin Clark

The Chinese military itself wasn't free from drama, as Beijing cycled through defense ministers and senior officials fell under investigation.

The next year will start to feel the shadow of 2027 — the year by which the US says Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he wants to have the ability to execute an armed takeover of Taiwan.

"Beijing won't want to waste an opportunity to humiliate the US by operationally deploying a sixth-gen platform before the US," said analyst Malcom Davis. "Look for the J-36 in particular to enter service before the end of this decade."

The new Bushmasters will provide C2 capabilities for the Kongsberg's Naval Strike Missile (NSM) or Lockheed Martin's Precision Strike Missile Increment 2, depending on a contract award expected by the end of this year.

“For both economic and strategic reasons, China may hope to use the opportunity presented by the political transition in the US to stabilize ties with Japan," Bonnie Glaser, China expert at the German Marshall Fund, told Breaking Defense.

The buy from South Korea, maker of the FA-50, binds the Philippines even more closely to another US ally and highlights the costs to China of its bullying tactics.

Japan's air force will join the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Royal Thai Air Force, and the Vietnam Air Defense Air Force flying T-6s in the Indo-Pacific.

"India desperately needs drones, air defense systems, better tanks and fighting vehicles, fighter aircraft, and especially helicopters," Ian Hall, professor at Australia's Griffith University, said.

One analyst said "the imposition of tariffs likely will have a corrosive effect on American soft power -- of the latent good will in the Australian political scene towards positive US-Australian security and economic dynamics."

Australia isn't alone in its focus on Papua New Guinea. The United States signed an agreement with PNG in May last year.