by Michael F. McNamara | Mar 20, 2026 | Iran, Iran War, Japan
Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, paid a formal visit to the White House yesterday, which included a State Dinner. The timing of the event was deliberate, to reinforce US/Japan relations BEFORE President Trump was supposed to head to China. We’ll ask Col Grant Newsham, USMC (ret), to explain how, given the following, Japan won’t support the US’s request for mine sweeping ships to help clear the Strait of Hormuz:
- Japan gets 90% of its oil from the Middle East
- The US has guaranteed Japan that it will defend it with both nuclear and conventional forces if China attacks
Hmmmmmmmmmm… something isn’t adding up to me.
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by Michael F. McNamara | Mar 13, 2026 | Iran, Iran War, Middle East
Grant Newsham is a Senior Fellow with the Center for Security Policy. He is also a Research Fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, focusing on Asia/Pacific defense, political, and economic matters. Newsham is a retired U.S. Marine Colonel and was the first US Marine Liaison Officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force. He also served as reserve head of intelligence for Marine Forces Pacific and was the U.S. Marine Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo on two occasions.
He joined ALL MARINE RADIO today to talk about:
- The IRGC’s “intelligence estimate” on October 6, 2023 — wrong on every account
- The Straits of Hormuz
- Why inflicting pain on Iran is important
- Is ‘regime change” possible?
And more!
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by Michael F. McNamara | Oct 28, 2025 | Asia, China, Economics, Japan, Korea, North Korea, Pacific Rim Security, Philippines, Rare Earth Minerals, South Korea, Tariffs
As President Trump, fresh off his Middle East breakthrough, heads towards a meeting with China’s President Xi… a meeting that will have huge implications for both the US and the Chinese economies… We’ll talk to our expert, Grant Newsham, and get his perspective.
Grant has been ALL MARINE RADIO’s Pacific expert for a long time, and he is that because he tells the truth. We’ll talk about a variety of subjects (as we usually do), but the fascinating part of President Trump’s trip is how both President Trump and President Xi each need to make some sort of trade deal… because they both have needs that only the other nation can remedy. Grant makes us smart about China, the Philippines, Japan, and Korea, to mention a few of the things we cover.
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(more…)
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by Michael F. McNamara | Mar 23, 2025 | Japan, North Korea, Pacific Rim Security, Philippines, South China Sea, South Korea, Vietnam
Grant Newsham is a senior research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies, a senior research fellow at the Center for Security Policy, and a retired United States Marine Officer. He was the first US Marine liaison officer to the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and was instrumental in promoting the JSDF’s initial moves towards an amphibious capability.
He joined Mac to catch up on:
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- US engagement in the region… how goes it?
- Where each of the following Pacific Rim nations are today relative to defense issues: China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Thailand.
- The Marine Corps in the Pacific… how is it doing
- Ukraine
- Israel’s war against Hama, Hezbollah, Houthis and Iran
Always an interesting guest… Grant Newsham is the best I’ve heard when it comes to frank assessments of the Western Pacific.
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