As the government’s review of the Australian Intelligence Community (AIC) picks up steam, one of the key challenges is to identify and resolve growing gaps in the AIC’s technological capabilities. One such capability is the …
The 14 February piece by James Mugg and Andrew Davies was like the curate’s egg: good in parts. Much of what they wrote about the significance of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and systems (UAS), especially about …
If the Trump–Turnbull call illustrated the operatic nature of the early Trump administration, then the Trump–Abe long weekend presented an alternative picture of US alliance management under the new President. Both episodes demonstrate how leader-to-leader …
As it prepares to enter the sprawling ancient quarter of Mosul, the Iraqi Army has shaken off the claims that it’s not willing to fight. The special-forces units leading the attack on the west of …
The Beat Carfentanil ban in China Carfentanil is a powerful opioid used as an elephant tranquillizer. Despite being 10,000 times stronger than morphine, it was possible last year to order kilograms of it on the …
Within a week of Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock half a minute closer to midnight. The international community, it warned, had failed to come to grips with …
Until a few weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to visit Fiji as an extension of his Australian visit. This would have reciprocated a previous visit to Jerusalem by Fiji’s Prime Minister …
Russia’s been ruffling feathers across Europe again this week, with Ukraine accusing the Russian government of using a new virus to target its critical infrastructure as part of Russia’s ongoing cyber sabotage campaign against the …
This year’s Presidential election in France will be unusually significant for Australia, though it’s not likely to alter the substance of our bilateral relationship. The interests that Australia and France share run too deep for …
In a recent speech, a former colleague observed that our strategic environment was more uncertain than at any time since 1945. The uncertainties included the United States’ approach to its global role, the more so …
Sea State There’s been an alarming update on 30 January’s Saudi frigate attack by Houthi rebels. Initially believed to be a suicide boat attack, the US Navy declared on 18 February that it was in …
Over the last eight years, as China’s posturing in Asia became increasingly aggressive, many criticized US President Barack Obama for failing to stand up to the Asian giant. It was on Obama’s watch, after all, …