I explained previously that the US places a premium on having a long-range bomber in inventory, and how big that premium can be. With the B-2, the costs of bomber programs effectively ‘hit the wall’, …
In my previous post on the US Long Range Strike–Bomber (LRS-B), I promised to return to the likely cost-effectiveness of the future system. But first I’m going to back-track to examine the possible costs in …
From the time it came into being in 1947, the United States Air Force has had a state-of-the-art long-range bomber in its inventory. The first was the extraordinary B-36 Peacemaker (see photo)—the name intending to …
A member of the PNG parliament died from Covid-19 last week, but it still wasn’t enough to convince many Papua New Guineans that the virus is real and is probably out of control in their …
The passing of Sir Michael Somare, the first chief minister and the founding prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ends a remarkable political life that began when he was elected to the pre-independence House of …
The big political questions of 2020 for New Zealand were could Jacinda Ardern earn a second three-year term in Wellington and could Donald Trump become a two-term president in Washington? While definitive answers have arrived …
Violent disturbances over nickel production, with implications for Australian security, in our close French neighbour, New Caledonia, have attracted attention in Paris, but not here. Only Nic Maclellan, true to excellent form, has written about …
For the past six weeks or more, both the political system and day-to-day government operations of Papua New Guinea have been paralysed by the impact of divisions within the Marape government, and attempts to remove …
A billboard firm cleverly lures clients with a simple slogan on an otherwise blank canvas—unsee this. Its genius rests on a human trait: we can’t unsee, unhear or unsmell anything. Our senses are primordial devices …
Since I raised serious questions about the transparency, or lack of it, in Asian Development Bank–funded projects in Papua New Guinea, I have been deluged with highly credible information that highlights not just the failure …
Elections in New Zealand and the United States will challenge progress that has been made in the Pacific by ANZUS countries. It looks like New Zealand’s election will see out the populist NZ First party …
New Caledonia’s second independence referendum might have delivered a majority for staying with France, but support for independence along ethnic lines strengthened significantly, meaning there can be no viable future for the territory without collaboration …