After the Abbott government approved the purchase of 72 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the RAAF, its fast jet capability was locked in for years to come. From around 2020, the F-35s will join 24 …
Articles by: "Andrew Davies"
Recent reporting that the search for missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 might be soon called off got me thinking about the methodology of search. For my sins, I spent time in operations research in my …
With ASPI’s cyber team flat out like lizards drinking this week, here’s a special edition of the cyber wrap, based on a lecture on cyberwarfare I gave at the ANU earlier this year. As all …
The New Spymasters: inside espionage from the Cold War to global terror, by Stephen Grey Despite the continuing value of intelligence methods like telecommunication interception and satellite imagery, when operating against a shadowy terrorist group—especially …
Last year I wrote a series for The Strategist on the USAF’s new bomber program. (Parts one, two and three.) I was sceptical of the possibility of producing a state-of-the-art long range bomber for anything …
‘Alternative Futures’ is a methodology sometimes used in strategic planning, in which the robustness of current plans is tested against various hypothetical futures. (The RAND Corporation sometimes uses this approach—they used it to test US …
This piece is drawn from ASPI’s forthcoming publication, Agenda for Change 2016: strategic choices for the next government. Australia’s defence strategy is a topic much loved by academics, and there’s a rich literature about its various …
While researching a recent post, I went to the Pentagon’s Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) website, looking for notifications of sales to Australia on its Major Arms Sales page. I didn’t find what I was …
This piece is drawn from Agenda for Change 2016: strategic choices for the next government. The defence of Australia’s interests is a core business of federal governments. Regardless of who wins the election on 2 …
The first batch of three River-class OPVs (HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey) were ordered for the Royal Navy in April of 2001, built in Southampton, and commissioned in the second half of 2003. A fourth, …
Back in 2009, Sean Costello and I wrote an ASPI paper called How to buy a submarine (PDF). I’m still writing about submarines, while Sean now has the job of actually delivering a dozen of …
We now have some answers about the project that will eventually deliver our next generation submarines. The French company DCNS will be our international design partner and the submarines will be built in South Australia. …