The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) has been diligently promoting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons—usually just called the nuclear ban treaty—since it was opened for signature on 20 September 2017. ICAN’s …
Sea state Spain and Saudi Arabia have finalised a €2 billion deal to supply five Avante 2200 corvettes to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. Constructed by Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, the Avante 2200 corvettes are based …
Sea state The Japanese coast guard has recommended charging a US Navy officer with negligent homicide. The recommendation comes 8 months after a collision at sea between USS Fitzgerald and container ship ACX Crystal in …
Security dynamics are changing rapidly in the Indo-Pacific. The region is home not only to the world’s fastest-growing economies, but also to the fastest-increasing military expenditures and naval capabilities, the fiercest competition over natural resources, …
Following Richard Menhinick’s post about Australia needing a more potent and lethal navy, it’s worth thinking about why we have a navy and what role it would play in a regional conflict. From my reading, …
Sea state The Indonesian navy has seized one tonne of the drug ice from the Singaporean-flagged vessel Sunrise Glory. The methamphetamine was found hidden in 41 sacks buried among food supplies. The Indonesian navy says …
Last week’s one-day meeting of Australian and Japanese prime ministers in Tokyo will reportedly lead to strengthened bilateral defence ties, supposedly to enhance regional security in the face of ‘North Korean aggression’ and ‘the strategic …
We’re barely into 2018 and two major crises confront the world, both with significant nuclear dimensions. On the Korean peninsula, Kim Jong-un has once again reinforced his growing nuclear weapons capability and apparent willingness to …
Nuclear weapons and their role in Australia’s future defence are being openly debated by some key thinkers in Canberra. A recent ASPI Strategic Insights paper by Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith highlights a worsening security outlook …
Sea state During his visit to Beijing, Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, was formally rebuked by his Chinese counterpart. Chinese Navy commander Shen Jinlong condemned the Australian Navy for having ‘compromised the …
As Tokyo—and towns and cities across Japan—look ahead to 2018, they are dusting off long-neglected civil-defence infrastructure and nuclear-attack procedures. Schoolchildren are practising the kinds of nuclear-safety drills that I endured during my childhood, at …
Paul Dibb and Richard Brabin-Smith recently opined that our strategic situation has changed for the worse and that the warning time clock is ticking. I think they’re right. We were able to cruise through the …