Articles by: "Malcolm Davis"
Australia takes on the high frontier

In an earlier post I highlighted that Australia is set to embrace a more active role in space. This shift away from a primarily earth-bound focus on space opens up some interesting possibilities. Certainly, we’ve …

What follows the Aussie Tiger? (Part 1)

In 2011 the ADF took delivery of 22 Eurocopter ‘Aussie Tiger’ armed reconnaissance helicopters (ARH). Since then, the project has had a troubled history: the ANAO released a fairly scathing report in 2016, and more …

Australia’s future in space

  Australia is about to get much more serious about its future role on the high frontier of space. Following last year’s announcement of the formation of an Australian space agency, there’s gathering momentum across …

ASPI suggests

The world This week marked the 18th school shooting of 2018 in the US. The Daily Beast discusses how the perpetrator trained with Republic of Florida, a white supremacist separatist group, from which he acquired firearms. …

ASPI suggests

The world Today, the Olympic Winter Games kick off in Pyeongchang, South Korea. North Korea’s Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, along with Kim Jong-un’s sister, will attend. They’ll be …

The strategic holiday is over (part 2)

In my last post, I considered the high-level strategic policy implications of strengthening Australia’s relationships with the US and other nations as part of an effort to support the US national defence strategy (NDS). That …

The strategic holiday is over (part 1)

The release of the Trump administration’s 2018 national defence strategy (NDS) in January highlighted a more dangerous threat environment with an assertive China and aggressive Russia at the top of US concerns. The document states …

Nuclear buttons and sunsets

We’re barely into 2018 and two major crises confront the world, both with significant nuclear dimensions. On the Korean peninsula, Kim Jong-un has once again reinforced his growing nuclear weapons capability and apparent willingness to …

Going nuclear?

Nuclear weapons and their role in Australia’s future defence are being openly debated by some key thinkers in Canberra. A recent ASPI Strategic Insights paper by Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith highlights a worsening security outlook …

ASPI suggests

The world Welcome to the last ‘ASPI suggests’ of 2017. Let’s kick things off with a look back at the year. The New York Times has published a list of its most-read stories of 2017 …