It is evident from Australia’s increasingly severe droughts and record-breaking heatwaves that time is running out to take action on climate change. Yet, despite persistent calls from eminent scientists to reduce global dependence on fossil …
The size of the Royal Australian Navy’s workforce must increase if the service is to maintain its rising operational tempo, says Vice Admiral Mike Noonan. ‘We’ve a navy heading towards 12 submarines, 12 surface combatants, …
The Royal Australian Navy is strongly focused on building relationships with allies and gaining experience in an increasingly complex and uncertain Indo-Pacific region, says its commander, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan. ‘The geopolitical climate that we …
Sea state Naval Group has contracted Schneider Electric France to provide the main DC switchboards for the Royal Australian Navy’s Attack-class submarines. The switchboards will distribute power from the submarine’s batteries and diesel generators to …
One of the pearls in my memory of working in a big bureaucracy showed how things that make sense inside it simply don’t in the outside world. It’s a corrosive dynamic that applies to how …
In a recent public lecture, former Australian foreign minister and outgoing chancellor of the Australian National University Gareth Evans commented, ‘Geopolitically, Europe’s role matters enormously, again, in a world where principled voices are in short …
Is Australia’s Department of Defence one big beast or a herd of beasts? Is the Oz military a single tribe or a bunch of tribes? The questions matter in many ways, not least because the …
It’s the Labour Day public holiday here in Canberra. That means we’re taking the day off from normal duties and will be back tomorrow with our usual full schedule of strategic analysis and opinion. If …
‘The race to 5G is a race America must win’, US President Donald Trump said on 12 April. Just over a month later, on 15 May, he issued an executive order banning Huawei equipment in …
The world China has taken centre stage this week following the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party coming to power. See IISS for the new weapons systems that were on show at the anniversary …
Australia’s 2020 cybersecurity strategy needs the input of all Australians—from individuals to academia, business, community associations and regulators. The government has issued a discussion paper calling for views, asking Australians to contribute to shaping Australia’s …
French President Emmanuel Macron is one of those leaders who wants to bend the arc of history. Having upended French politics, he has secured positions for his preferred candidates at the head of the European …
Australian National University Vice Chancellor Brian Schmidt’s public release of a detailed report on the damaging cyberattack on ANU systems and data marks a refreshing shift in behaviour on cybersecurity for Australian public institutions. The …
The massive military parade on the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China generated a huge amount of interest, mostly because of the slew of new military capabilities on display. The …
The beat UK police to gain access to encrypted messages The UK and the US are expected to sign an agreement that will force US-based social media platforms to share users’ encrypted data with British …
Whether or not a conflict spirals out of control depends on the ability to understand and communicate about the scale of hostility. Unfortunately, when it comes to cyber conflict, there’s no agreement on scale or …
In part 1, I examined the hard limits on the F-35A’s unrefuelled range. Air-to-air refuelling can certainly help extend it. Tankers can substantially increase fighters’ time on station (that is, how long they can stay …
In November 2018, the Australian activist group Juice Media produced one of its satirical ‘Honest Government Ads’ promoting tourism in West Papua. The video is highly critical of Indonesia’s repressive and exploitative policies in West …
In 1975, Japan’s Kazuo Yamada invented a brilliantly simple yet addictive arcade game that would eventually be affectionately known as ‘Whac-A-Mole’. The premise for the game is simple. A player waits for plastic moles to …
In December 2018, US President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, tweeting that ‘ISIS is largely defeated and other local countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take …