Not even a blue check?
How quaint
And still the best palestinians can get is Greta Thunberg
Quad Nations Launch Fiji Port Plan, Critical Minerals Pact Amid China Tensions
Reuters May 26, 2026
NEW DELHI, May 26 (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. agreed to jointly build a port in Fiji and signed pacts covering critical minerals and energy security, as they sought to inject fresh energy into their grouping known as the Quad.
The brief meeting between the countries’ top diplomats – Australia’s Penny Wong, India’s S. Jaishankar, Japan’s Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio – was the third such gathering of the Quad since September 2024.
The group unveiled its first joint infrastructure project, a port in Fiji.
“We are going to be partnering on issues of port infrastructure, in particular in response to insufficient port capacity in the Pacific Islands, we are announcing plans to work with Fiji,” Rubio said.
The four-nation group had lost some momentum last year after failing to hold a leaders’ summit, amid tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Washington’s tariffs and other matters.
“We are beginning to show real achievements and real accomplishments,” Rubio said. “We are deeply committed to this partnership. It is a linchpin and a cornerstone of our global strategy as a nation in the United States.”
He said the group agreed to launch an initiative on Indo-Pacific Energy Security and a critical minerals framework.
ABSENCE OF LEADERS’ SUMMIT CREATES DOUBTS
The minerals framework will guide how to leverage economic policy tools and coordinate investment to strengthen critical minerals supply chains – including in mining and processing – and in critical minerals recycling, Rubio said.
The initiative could be significant for Japan after China halted shipments of some minerals used in aerospace, defense and semiconductor industries following a diplomatic dispute.
New Delhi has pressed for a Trump visit to India, a trip that would probably be tied to a Quad summit. Analysts have questioned whether a lack of leader-level engagement has downgraded the Quad’s importance.
The foreign ministers did not comment on the possibility of a summit this year, but over the weekend, Rubio said that diplomats would work toward a meeting later this year.
“The absence of a leaders’ summit has raised some doubts, but that does not necessarily indicate declining importance,” said Premesha Saha, a senior policy fellow at the Asia Society Australia in Melbourne.
“If the Quad can keep delivering at the ministerial and working levels, it can remain relevant even without regular leaders-level signaling.”
The Quad countries share concerns about China’s growing power and Rubio has stressed the importance of maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
QUAD SHOULDN’T TARGET THIRD PARTY, CHINA SAYS
A joint statement from the four countries said they remained “seriously concerned about the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea” as well as the “militarisation of disputed features” in the South China Sea.
They also condemned attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Middle East and said they were opposed to the imposition of tolls, stressing on safety and uninterrupted flow of global commerce through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea and has built military facilities on disputed features. Several Southeast Asian countries also claim parts of the sea. China and Japan have a separate dispute over territory in the East China Sea.
Beijing has criticized the Quad as a Cold War-style grouping aimed at containing its development.
On Tuesday, it said cooperation between countries should contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity, and should not target any third party.
“We also do not support the formation of exclusive cliques or bloc confrontation. No cooperation should undermine mutual trust and cooperation among regional countries,” China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, told a daily press conference.
India, too, has territorial disputes with China, although Modi had signaled a willingness to improve ties with Beijing amid his tensions with Trump.
https://gcaptain.com/quad-nations-launch-fiji-port-plan-critical-minerals-pact-amid-china-tensions/
I believe it more likely that if Q decides to post again it will be to the UK bread
Navy Commissions Final Littoral Combat Ship as Controversial Program Comes to an End
Mike Schuler May 19, 2026
The U.S. Navy has commissioned USS Cleveland (LCS 31), officially closing out the Littoral Combat Ship program after more than two decades marked by cost overruns, mechanical failures, and shifting mission requirements.
The ceremony took place Friday in Cleveland, Ohio, with Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao praising the crew as the ship entered active service.
“Today we celebrate the sailors who breathe life into this ship,” Cao said during the ceremony. “To the officers and crew of USS Cleveland, today is your day.”
Cleveland is the 16th and final Freedom-variant LCS built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin. More significantly, it is the last Littoral Combat Ship expected to enter the fleet, bringing an end to one of the Navy’s most debated modern shipbuilding efforts.
The Navy previously commissioned USS Pierre (LCS 38), the final Independence-variant vessel, in late 2025.
The LCS class consists of two variants: the Freedom-class steel monohull built by Lockheed Martin in Marinette, Wisconsin, and the Independence-class aluminum trimaran built by Austal USA. A total of 35 LCS have been constructed.
Originally launched in the early 2000s, the LCS program aimed to deliver fast, modular warships capable of operating in contested near-shore environments. The ships were designed around interchangeable mission packages for mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, and surface warfare.
Instead, the program became plagued by delays, reliability problems, and escalating criticism over survivability and combat capability, particularly as the Pentagon shifted focus toward high-end conflict scenarios in the Indo-Pacific.
Several LCS hulls have already been retired years earlier than expected, while the Navy increasingly pivots toward more heavily armed and survivable platforms such as the Constellation-class frigate.
Still, Navy officials continue to defend the ships’ role in distributed maritime operations.
“Littoral Combat Ships are fast, agile, mission-focused warships designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats,” the Navy said in its commissioning announcement.
Cleveland is the fourth Navy ship to bear the city’s name. Earlier vessels served in conflicts ranging from World War I to Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm.
The ship’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Bruce Hallett, told the crew they would define the vessel’s legacy despite the broader controversy surrounding the class.
“You are not simply serving aboard this ship,” Hallett said. “You are writing the first chapter of her history.”
Following commissioning, Cleveland will transit to its homeport at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
https://gcaptain.com/navy-commissions-final-littoral-combat-ship-as-controversial-program-comes-to-an-end/
You're the best they can come up with?