The news that drones were likely employed in a major attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities at Abqaiq over the weekend has highlighted how unmanned aerial technology can be exploited by state and non-state actors …
We live in the eternal now—a condition which makes it difficult to recall even what happened last week. So readers will be forgiven for not recalling the fine detail of a document published by the …
Sea state The UK Ministry of Defence has named Babcock International as the preferred bidder of a £1.25 billion (A$2.27 billion) contract to build five Type 31 frigates for the Royal Navy. The vessels will …
The Antarctic Treaty System is a consensus arrangement that has been in place for more than 50 years. It worked well in the 1960s, when nuclear weapons were seen as the key to global security. …
The US Air Force Space Command has just released a thought-provoking report, The future of space 2060 and implications for US strategy. As the title suggests, it’s looking ahead to the possible ‘space futures’ that …
Japan’s relationship with South Korea is not amicable at the best of times. Yet in recent months it has entered a rapidly descending diplomatic spiral of unprecedented depth and scope. Mounting bilateral friction over the …
Nearly everyone has seen the dramatic images of the Amazon ablaze. Tens of thousands of fires—intentionally started or caused by logging, farming, mining and other human activities—have broken out over the past year alone. This …
The Brexit poison in the British polity has also infected Europe. Britain is finished with Europe. Equally, Europe is finished with Britain. The angry British sentiment to get the thing done is matched by an …
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is heading to Washington for an official visit and the rare privilege of a state dinner in the White House. According to the US announcement: ‘The visit will celebrate our two …
The world It’s been a busy week for US President Donald Trump. He declared the peace negotiations with the Taliban ‘dead’ and said he would hit them ‘harder than they have ever been hit before’. …
With Australia’s increasingly contested and uncertain strategic environment, defence diplomacy is more important than ever. The Australian Defence Force’s extensive and diverse training areas should play a key role in that effort. The Australia–Singapore military …
Australia’s national security community is once again in the midst of a debate on whether or not Australia should acquire nuclear weapons. This latest round was initiated by the publication of Hugh White’s new book, …
In the latest episode of ‘Donald Trump: The Presidency’, John Bolton is fired, proving that Trump can be the adult in the room. The Taliban didn’t get to mark the 9/11 anniversary at Camp David. …
The beat UK court rules in favour of police use of facial recognition The High Court of England and Wales has dismissed a case brought against the South Wales Police for its use of automated …
Former US president Barack Obama characterised the message in American Factory, a new documentary produced by his company Higher Ground Productions, as a way to find common ground and move forward together. American Factory chronicles the purchase of …
The US is in the midst of an opioid epidemic that is showing no signs of abating. In 2017, more than 70,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, around 40% of which were linked to synthetic …
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he had called off talks with the Taliban at Camp David. The meeting had probably been arranged to finalise a deal for the start of a US …
Forty years ago, Steve Jobs walked into a long concrete office building in Palo Alto, California. The building belonged to Xerox, the company that had recently invented the first ‘windows and mouse’ computer. Jobs saw …
Having met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un three times—all to great fanfare—US President Donald Trump may still believe that denuclearisation is underway in the hermit kingdom. If so, he’s probably the only one who …
US President Donald Trump’s muddled messaging on Chinese tech giant Huawei has had us all confused this year. The tweets, mixed signals and excessive focus on trading away policy positions for a ‘deal’ don’t always …