China Media Group (CMG) on Thursday published the top 10 world military news stories in 2022.

1. Russia-Ukraine conflict breaks out

Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, a step Moscow said it was forced to take as its security concerns over NATO's eastward expansion were not addressed. The two sides have fought for months with key regions and cities having changed hands, while heavy Russian shelling has knocked out much of Ukraine's energy infrastructure, leaving Ukrainians to embrace a harsh winter with limited power supplies. Intense fighting is still ongoing in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region.

2. Five nuclear-weapon states vow no arms race in joint statement

In a joint statement issued on January 3, China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States pledged to prevent nuclear war and avoid arms races. The leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states, also the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, affirmed their commitment to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligation. 

"None of our nuclear weapons are targeted at each other or at any other State," the leaders reaffirmed in the statement. "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."

3. U.S. releases Indo-Pacific Strategy, stoking confrontation and undermining global strategic stability

The U.S. released its Indo-Pacific Strategy on February 11, calling for strengthening Indo-Pacific security and prosperity, and promising to foster security ties between its allies and partners, and work in flexible groupings. But the strategy's emphasis on such exclusive blocs as AUKUS consisting of the United States, Britain and Australia, and Quad involving the United States, Japan, India and Australia, has been viewed as an attempt to escalate bloc confrontation in the region.

4. Japan unveils new security policies, marking fundamental shift in ideology

Japan unveiled on December 16 three updated documents on its security and defense policies, vowing to acquire the military power to actively attack its enemy and largely increase its military expenditure for the next five years. The release of the documents marks a fundamental shift in Japan's post-war security ideology and defense policy, in complete violation of its exclusively defense-oriented policy and pacifism embodied in the Constitution of Japan.

5. NATO unveils new strategic blueprint, branding Russia a "direct threat"

NATO leaders adopted a new strategic blueprint on June 29 calling Russia as "the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area."

6. Russian Defense Ministry says U.S. intelligence services, pharmaceutical companies are involved in military bio studies in Ukraine

The Russian Defense Ministry disclosed on December 24 information of U.S. high-ranking participants in the military biological studies in Ukraine, many of whom are associated with U.S. intelligence services or pharmaceutical companies.

7. CSTO deploys peacekeepers to Kazakhstan as unrest intensifies

Peacekeeping forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) entered Kazakhstan on January 6. The collective forces included subdivisions of the armed forces of Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and the main tasks will be the protection of important state and military facilities, assistance to the forces of law and order of the Republic of Kazakhstan in stabilizing the situation.

8. U.S.-led RIMPAC 2022 Pacific military exercise begins

The U.S. Navy began hosting the world's largest maritime exercise, involving 26 countries, off Hawaii on June 29. The Rim of the Pacific exercise, also known as RIMPAC, ran through August 4. Over three dozen surface ships, four submarines, nine national land forces, more than 170 aircraft, and about 25,000 personnel were expected to train and operate together in and around the Hawaiian Islands as well as southern California.

9. U.S. goes further down the road of space militarization

The U.S. has formed the Space Command and Space Force and frequently held the "Global Sentinel" and "Space Flag" military exercises. It has also developed and deployed aggressive space weapons like the "counter communications system" and fired a variety of reconnaissance satellites. Observers say the U.S. has become the main pusher of weaponizing space and turning it into a battlefield.

10. NATO begins Steadfast Noon nuclear exercises

NATO began its annual nuclear exercises in northwestern Europe on October 17. The maneuvers, dubbed Steadfast Noon, ran until October 30. The exercises involved fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads, but did not involve any live bombs.