On 23 May 2017, fighting broke out between hundreds of pro–Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Philippine soldiers and police in the city of Marawi in the southern island of Mindanao. As clashes intensified, the Armed …
The proliferation of sensors and data sources available to a modern military like the ADF often swamps the ability of the analyst to find what’s truly relevant in the sea of information. The exponential increase …
Since 1951, the ANZUS Treaty has been the centrepiece of Australian foreign and defence policy. A major factor in the Americans’ decision to agree to the treaty was the contribution to victory made by the …
In recent days, Wilton Park—the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s discussion forum—released a report (PDF) on its June workshop on nuclear deterrence and assurance. The report’s not overly long, but bears a close reading given …
Commentary on ASEAN’s 50th birthday has been largely congratulatory, and deservedly so. Observers have recalled that back in 1967 there were apprehensions about the possible spread of communism further into Southeast Asia, as well as …
Welcome to the brand-new five-domains update! Except, not really—it’s just been expanded. The update now has five sections, covering all the domains of the military operating environment: sea (‘Sea state’), air (‘Flight path’), land (‘Rapid …
There’s more work to do to get Australian businesses—particularly smaller organisations—fully prepared to risk-manage the spectrum of security threats. Many Australian businesses know that, as evidenced in KPMG’s recently released Global CEO Outlook 2017 for …
In June, Andrew Davies produced a pair of Strategist pieces (see here and here) on the encryption challenge to security, in the process succinctly explaining why our telecommunications intercept (TI) capability is ‘going dark’. Andrew’s …
The Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Construction was completed in 1967, and controversy has ebbed and flowed ever since, including with a recent ABC Background Briefing program. Anti-war activists have …
The internet of things (IoT) is a network of everyday items, such as fridges, washing machines and even automobiles, that connect to the internet to share and exchange information. Kevin Ashton, who coined the term …
The 2016 Defence White Paper, the Naval Shipbuilding Plan, and associated statements by political figures such as Prime Minister Turnbull and Defence Industry Minister Pyne have all advocated the need for enhanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) …
Australia’s surface warships and submarines will, in future, be much more closely linked to allied vessels to provide a collective defence against increasingly lethal threats, Royal Australian Navy chief Tim Barrett tells The Strategist. Discussing …
If Donald Trump can’t get a deal with North Korea, the only deal in town is with China. If not ‘fire and fury’ with Pyongyang, it must be a fix with Beijing. A president keen …
A vast majority of countries want to eliminate the existential threat of nuclear catastrophe, and rightly so. But achieving a world free of nuclear weapons is easier said than done, and there is a risk …
Welcome back to another week of ASPI suggests. First up, here are some solid reads on le sujet du jour: North Korea. This Esquire piece delivers what it says on the box: a good read …
The latest crisis on the Korean peninsula is distinctive for a number of reasons. First, it involves a bunch of new or newish leaders in Kim Jung-un, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Moon Jae-in. Second, …
Recent public discussion on defence industry has highlighted the contribution that domestic production of defence capital equipment makes to broader technological development within Australia and, in turn, to economic growth. Much of the discussion relies …
During his speech at ASPI last month, Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne reinforced the government’s commitment to the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement and its intent to foster an export-focused defence industry. The policy …
It is too soon to know whether and how the challenge posed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs will be resolved. But it is not too early to consider what that challenge could mean …
Last week Prime Minister Turnbull committed Australia to join the United States in a war with North Korea. His remarks were strangely brief and informal for such a weighty issue, and left it rather unclear …