The rumour doing the rounds last year was that the Prime Minister had contemplated a unilateral deployment of a battalion of Australian soldiers to Ukraine to secure the crash site of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, …
On Wednesday CNN released exclusive footage taken aboard a US Navy P-8 that may have flown within the claimed 12nm of territorial airspace of three of the islands in the South China Sea undergoing Chinese reclamation …
The idea that the US may send military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation around Chinese claimed islands in the South China Sea is seriously bad. It’s bad because it would involve an …
As Joe Hockey rose to his feet in the House of Representatives to launch the Abbott Government’s second budget for 2015/16, shipbuilders in Melbourne were informed by BAE Systems that another 80 permanent skilled jobs …
While China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea might shock and surprise today’s observers, its behaviour has actually been remarkably consistent over recent decades. China first exercised its power in the region in January …
Commissioned in September 2014 under a $2.5 million contract, the RAND report Australian’s Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise: Preparing for the 21st Century was released on 16 April 2015. The government says it’s developing an ‘enterprise-level Naval Shipbuilding …
Last weekend’s commemorations of the centenary of the Gallipoli landings was the ultimate expression of our habit of reflecting on the causes, conduct and consequences of war at the time of major anniversaries. Unfortunately, Australia’s …
For all your international security and defence reading, look no further than ASPI Suggests! Tomorrow’s ANZAC Day (25 April) will mark the 100th anniversary of the first major military action fought at Gallipoli by Australian and New …
The Washington-based Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) recently released a couple of reports that should be required reading for anyone thinking about future force structures. Although looking at different domains—one concerns itself with …
Flight path It looks as if Russia isn’t just flexing its muscles in Eastern Europe. Last Wednesday, Japan reported Russian incursions in its northern skies. Along with Chinese combat aircraft in its southern airspace, this …
Flight Path Two US Marine Corps F/A-18C Hornets made an emergency landing at Tainan Air Force Base, Taiwan, on 1 April after the pilots reported a mechanical issue. The landing was dismissed as precautionary, but …
Like many capability debates, LAND 400 runs the risk of becoming a multipolar web of false dichotomies and choices. The systems proposed for acquisition under LAND 400 are too large and heavy, and they come with …