Call for gender focus for peacekeeping positions The importance of data and analysis in combating sexual violence and promoting the WPS agenda was highlighted during the UN Security Council’s annual debate on women, peace and …
Tanks are back in vogue. Russia unveiled its new T-14 Armata tank in 2014, the first new tank-type produced since the fall of the Soviet Union. It’s set to enter service in 2020, but production …
Simultaneous serendipity struck when the new magazine Australian Foreign Affairs and its US inspiration Foreign Affairs dropped into my mailbox on the same day. The wattle-yellow cover of the newborn publication made a fine Oz …
The world It was another chaotic week in Spain as the central government imposed direct control of Catalonia, rescheduled elections, and arrested eight Catalan regional ministers for rebellion. Nearby, in Greece, it was a tough …
It can’t be mere coincidence that US secretary of state Rex Tillerson’s first major foreign policy speech on 18 October was about America’s relations with India. The address, delivered on the eve of his visit …
A press briefing on the Australian future submarine (FSM) program by Jean-Michel Billig, the Australian program director for Naval Group (formerly DCNS), at the PACIFIC 2017 international maritime expo a few weeks ago set some …
Now that the DPRK has developed long-range missiles and what appears to be a hydrogen bomb, what next? Does Kim Jung-un plan to incinerate a US city in the near future? Until now, nuclear powers …
The beat NRL on the radar NSW Police have investigated allegations of insider betting and match fixing in the NRL. While Strike Force Nuralda couldn’t find any evidence for the match-fixing claims, detectives uncovered incidents …
The nuclear world is bifurcating. Along one fork sit those favouring the nuclear ban treaty—affronted by the ongoing role that nuclear deterrence plays in key global and regional security arrangements, appalled by the prospective humanitarian …
US President Donald Trump has decided not to certify that Iran is in compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement constraining Iran’s nuclear-weapons program. In effect, Trump has …
Seven months ago, when Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Front had a chance of winning the French presidency, Germany feared for France’s future. But after Germany’s federal election in September, France has not …
In August, Myanmar’s military launched ‘clearing operations’ against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. According to the government, this was a response to a coordinated attack by the group against 30 police posts and an army …
In the past 15 years, I’ve had the privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with Australian soldiers in a maelstrom of combat through Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan. Invariably my ADF colleagues have been brave, highly …
The recent defence security breach—labelled ‘ALF’ by the Australian Signals Directorate—involving an Adelaide-based defence contractor has been characterised as a cybersecurity incident. But closer examination indicates that the underlying causes have more to do with …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. How long will the Collins-class submarines operate …
Sea state The US Navy has three carrier groups in Asia for the first time in a decade. The deployment comes as President Donald Trump prepares for his first visit to Asia. The chairman of …
The Indonesian military (Tentara Nasional Indonesia or TNI) turned 72 years old on 5 October. Much of the gung-ho surrounding the anniversary, however, wasn’t about the new weapon systems displayed during the celebration or new …
It’s been nearly two months since China’s official media agency Xinhua debuted #Xiplomacy on Twitter. Xinhua, with a weighty 11 million Twitter followers, initially used the hashtag to push out a new multipart documentary series …
In Senate estimates last week, Senator Lisa Singh raised with representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade the issue of possible use of nuclear weapons. ‘In what circumstances’, she asked, ‘does the government’s …
In Australia’s memory of the Great War, the Sinai–Palestine Campaign gets comparatively little thought after Gallipoli and the Western Front. The exception is the Battle of Beersheba, fought on 31 October 1917, which has lodged …