Sea State The US’ incoming chief of naval operations (CNO) Admiral John Richardson has been invited by his Chinese counterpart, Commander in Chief of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy—Admiral Wu Shengli—to visit China to discuss …
Sea State Australia’s second Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Adelaide, is currently undergoing its final sea trials with a crew of BAE Systems employees and RAN personnel. Additionally, HMAS Canberra, the first of the …
Sea State HMS Artful, the third of seven new Astute class nuclear attack submarines for the Royal Navy, was delivered by builder BAE to begin trials on 13 August. The 7,400 tonne boats are 97 metres …
It’s time for Australians to come to grips with their more troubling security outlook and debate how best to strengthen their deterrence and defensive capabilities. That’s the core message in my essay Game Plan: The …
Sea State The Philippine Government has voiced its interest in acquiring three more ex-Royal Australian Navy Balikpapan-class heavy landing craft (LCH). Retired in December 2012, the vessels have a military lift capacity of three medium …
We read the recent SDSC–CSIS report The ANZUS alliance in an ascending Asia (PDF) with interest. We agree with much of their analysis of alliance strengths and possible points of divergence in the face of …
Two weeks ago, Senator Nick Xenophon travelled to Japan to meet with executives from Mitsubishi and Kawasaki, and key Government officials to politely warn them to not rely on the Australian PM’s ‘nod and a …
There’s a degree of cynicism surrounding the government’s Competitive Evaluation Process (CEP) for the future submarine project. That’s to be expected; the process was forced upon the government in the turmoil of an internal leadership …
This week kicks off with news that the UN GGE on Cybersecurity has produced a consensus document after their most recent meetings at the UN HQ in New York. In what’s a nice win for …
Sea State In a move that’s shocked the Asia–Pacific and rattled the US, Thailand’s military government has announced that it will purchase Chinese submarines. There are several likely reasons for this decision, which effectively moves …
This week’s best reads, podcasts and videos starting in 3, 2 … Where did the idea for the Japanese submarine option (aka ‘Option J’) come from? Rex Patrick draws up a speculative history of the origins …
Developments in the South China Sea (SCS) have significant implications for India’s strategic interests and its role in the Indo-Pacific. Yet New Delhi has traditionally maintained a safe distance from direct commentary on issues like …











