Hassan Rouhani was decisively re-elected as president of Iran for another four years in last Friday’s elections. According to interim results released on Saturday and announced by Iran’s state TV, Rouhani had obtained an absolute …
Back in March, the Minister for Defence announced the results of a study of JSF-related exports by PwC. She said that the ‘Joint Strike Fighter program will create 2,600 extra defence industry jobs by 2023, …
Sea State At last week’s International Maritime Security Conference in Singapore, Rear Admiral Lai Chung Han, Singapore’s Navy chief, announced a number of initiatives designed to promote regional submarine operational safety, including a US$7.1m upgrade …
The 28 March 2017 landfall of Queensland’s Cyclone Debbie revealed yet again the value of having military assets readily available to rescue and support those needing help. This time it was the Whitsunday Islands, stricken …
On 30 June this year the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) will come to an end. Established in July 2003, RAMSI has been a feature of life in Solomon Islands for more than …
Last week, I argued that Australia needs stronger defence. Today I suggest how that might be achieved. Current plans strengthen Australia’s defences slowly. For example, the first of our ‘future submarines’ won’t enter service until …
The story of the Middle East for decades to come is of a battle for the hegemony of Sunni Islam, especially in the Arab world, and of the efforts by non-Sunni Muslims and non-Muslims to …
Beijing’s great celebration of the Belt and Road Initiative was a lavish display of China’s promise and power. All those nations paying court to Xi Jinping’s celebratory circus confront the conflicting emotions captured by a …
Hidey-ho, readerinos. Here’s a bunch of stuff that’s guided us through the action-packed week stateside: Politico calls in the big guns to grapple with the question of whether we’re approaching constitutional crisis territory; over at …
In their grab for influence and resources, colonial powers drew artificial borders across the Middle East and North Africa, often arbitrarily splitting traditional tribal territories into new states. Clans and families found themselves living in …
Rumours are circulating around Canberra that as the Budget dust settles, the government will again consider the case for an Australian Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This should come as no surprise as Malcolm Turnbull …
Sometimes events move quickly. In December 1998, John Howard wrote to his Indonesian counterpart B.J. Habibie, suggesting that East Timor should vote on self-determination. Fewer than ten months later, Australia was leading a UN sanctioned …
North Korea’s ballistic missile tests are indeed a roller-coaster ride. After a string of failures in its recent ballistic missile testing program, with some missiles failing almost immediately after launch, last Sunday it conducted what …
The Beat First responders fear fentanyl The rising incidence of fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic painkiller that can be inhaled or absorbed through the skin, is changing how first responders in the US conduct their …
On 25 December 2016, the PLAN deployed its Liaoning carrier group beyond the First Island Chain for the first time, in what many considered to be a warning to Taipei after President Tsai Ing-wen’s phone …
The Coalition went to the 2013 election with the promise of ‘no further cuts to Defence spending under a Coalition government’. That lasted until the 2014 Budget, when Defence was hit with a 0.25% increase …
Following last week’s decision by an Indonesian court to jail the former governor of Jakarta—Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok)—for two years for blasphemy, we need to ask ourselves whether Indonesia is heading down the path of …
This week one of the largest ransomware incidents to date, ‘WannaCrypt’ or ‘WannaCry’, affected the operations of at least 300,000 machines worldwide, encrypting and locking victims out until a Bitcoin ransom equivalent to US$300 was …
With Chelsea Manning’s release from prison imminent, following the surprise commutation of her sentence in January by former President Obama, the issue of what happens to Edward Snowden will resurface. Manning was sentenced to jail …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, which provides a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. The ADF has been on operations overseas almost …