The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be the most technically advanced fighter jet in the world—and one of the most expensive. If we want to be sure we’re getting our money’s worth, it’s important to …
Debate: "General"
Australian has lots of nasty fauna. Crocodiles. Sharks. Spiders. Then there’s that dangerous, unpredictable species—the Oz politician, a breed that catches and kills its own, frequently and ferociously. Tony Abbott’s demise has prompted angst about …
It’s been a little over a year since the ISIS chapter of Australia’s long war in the Middle East commenced. As I’ve said on a number of occasions over the last year, starting here and …
In my earlier article, I argued that Australia’s most important sea-trade during a time of crisis in Asia is likely to be high-value, low-volume importation of machinery and industrial equipment from Europe and North America. …
Since assuming the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership in November 2012, Chinese president Xi Jinping’s great ambitions have become well known. Domestically, he’s advanced the grand goal of what he calls the China Dream: ‘the …
Recent comments made by Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews regarding the possibility of four nation naval exercises involving Australia, India, Japan and the United States suggest that there might be some interest in Canberra in …
The fascinating debate on the worth of Australia building the Future Frigates as part of SEA 5000 between Hugh White and James Goldrick (see here, here , here and here ) highlights the issue of …
The Beat Identity crime report Last week we mentioned the release of the Identity Crime and Misuse in Australia 2013-2014 report from the Attorney-General’s Department and Australian Institute of Criminology. Key findings include that identity …
In 2014, the defeats by ISIS led to the fall of Nuri al-Maliki’s Iraqi Shia supremacist regime in August, and his replacement by the more moderate and inclusive Haider al-Abadi. But the Iraqi Army’s morale …
Taiwanese defence planners face a simple—though unenviable—task when crafting the country’s defence policy and military strategy. Taiwan’s only potential enemy is the People’s Republic of China, which is rapidly modernising the PLA. In the face …
The US ‘rebalance’ to the Asia–Pacific has been under way since late 2011. Then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in October 2011 of a ‘strategic turn to the region…to secure and sustain America’s global …
My last post examined Islamic State as a global terrorist entity—a complex and constantly evolving threat. This two-part post focuses more tightly on the unfolding war against ISIS in Iraq. Here things are much clearer: …