In my previous article, I looked at the transition that’s underway in Australia’s electricity sector, driven by technological innovation. The electrical grid is moving from one based on a small number of large, inflexible generators …
Articles by: "Marcus Hellyer"
Disruptive innovation almost always takes the incumbent by surprise. Successful organisations are very often good at sustaining innovation (that is, incrementally improving their business model), but they’re generally unwilling to foster disruptive innovation, and are …
US President Joe Biden has sent Congress his requested budget for the 2022 fiscal year. Due to the timelines of a presidential transition year, there’s not a lot of detail yet, but there’s enough to …
Last year’s war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was short, sharp and decisive. By effectively employing precision guided weapons, the former rapidly forced the latter to capitulate and accede to its political demands. The conflict confirmed …
With the ongoing gloom hanging around Australia’s future submarine program and signs that the future frigate is facing some big problems, it’s great to see some good news out of the Defence Department and its …
Media reports this week have claimed that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has commissioned a Defence Department review into potential alternatives to the Attack-class submarine. That’s prompted a flurry of speculation about whether the government is …
The Australian government has released its mid-year budget update in the form of the portfolio additional estimates statements. If you’re looking for screaming headline material in the defence portfolio’s PAES you may be disappointed. But …
In my most recent article, I noted that the Department of Defence appears to be in the early stages of identifying a ship-launched land-attack missile for acquisition. The government assessed in its 2020 defence strategic …
Last month, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds put out a media release announcing a boost to Australia’s maritime security. Its focus was the navy’s weapons program. The announcement had a medley of numbers—a $1 billion investment …
The most often quoted line of the ancient Chinese strategist Sun Tzu is that ‘supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting’. By that measure, the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation …
Last month, I looked at Defence’s growing external workforce, in particular its 6,500 or so contractors, who provide ‘skills that would normally be maintained in the Australian Public Service or Australian Defence Force … to …
Originally published 26 May 2020. There’s a big international weapons program that probably doesn’t pass the post-coronavirus pub test for supply chain security. As US President Donald Trump’s recently said, ‘It’s a certain fighter jet, …