In 2003, the Bush administration caused a furore by proposing a new type of nuclear weapon, formally called the ‘Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator’ (RNEP), to defeat hard and deeply buried targets. The term ‘mini-nuke’ quickly …
Debate: "General"
The beat Women and policing The 2017 International Women and Law Enforcement Conference is coming to an end today in Cairns. The gathering focused on ‘enhancing and supporting women in law enforcement and other community …
Nick Bryant went close to saying, ‘The emperor has no clothes!’ in his recent Lowy Interpreter article on rethinking of the value proposition of e-diplomacy. Appropriately, the post came to me via my Twitter feed …
President Trump’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly has attracted considerable media attention—though mostly for his comments about North Korea and Iran. But I’d urge readers to examine the full text. That’s not because …
In May 1917, the French Army on the Western Front mutinied after the collapse of yet another ill-conceived offensive and the British Expeditionary Force assumed the main burden of the fighting. Its commander-in-chief, Field Marshal …
In the ADF’s Joint Operations Command, it’s referred to as the ‘battle rhythm’—a constant series of analyses and judgements about short- and long-term threats to the nation and the region. A top security facility near …
Traveling through Germany in the run-up to its federal election on 24 September, one cannot help but be struck by the lingering signs of profound trauma from the 2015 refugee crisis. Suddenly and virtually without …
Sea state The US Navy has contracted Raytheon to modify the Tomahawk missile so that it can be used for long-range strikes against moving naval targets. The US still uses the 1970s Harpoon anti-ship missile, …
North Korea’s launch of a Hwasong-12 IRBM over Japan on 28 August, a second launch on 15 September (once again overflying Japan), and its test of what is either a boosted fission weapon or an …
Myanmar is in crisis. The Rohingya—a Muslim ethnic minority group in a predominantly Buddhist country—are under attack by the military, with many fleeing for their lives. This escalating conflict is threatening to undermine Myanmar’s ongoing …
The divisions in the EU are likely to be exacerbated by the outcome of the Austrian election in October. The probable result will add to current tensions over illegal immigrants and provide more encouragement to …
Australia is to have an Intelligence Czar. For the politicians, the Czar is the answer to the single phone call question: the Czar will be charged with giving the answers—and will be answerable. The …