The Wednesday hacking of the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) by apparent ‘Chinese’ actors was another example, if one was needed, of the persistent threat to Australian computer networks, both government and private sector. It’s a …
From trying to install 21st century avionics on 1960s helicopters to buying landing craft that crack and can’t fit onto their motherships, defence procurement in Australia has been fraught. Within this context David Peever’s First …
The Beat Taskforce to combat welfare fraud A pilot project to target welfare fraud—colourfully and misleadingly described in the Sydney press this week—has now been converted to a new task force within the Department of Human Services. …
Graeme Dobell has written two posts (here and here) on what the government could have known and asked before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. I should start my response by clarifying that I’m not …
What happens in China is central to the global effort to limit the extent of future climate change. China is already the largest emitter of greenhouse gases by far, even as it continues its process …
This week marks the first anniversary of the Australian Cyber Security Centre. Launched by former prime minister Tony Abbott, the ACSC had a busy year. According to this Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet …
A significant amount has been written about the looming defence maritime mega projects—SEA 1000 (Future Submarine) and SEA 5000 (Future Frigate). Each of these projects has been subjected to intense scrutiny due to the Abbott …
The appearance on Russian TV stations Channel One and NTV of the plans for a nuclear torpedo/unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) has prompted much interest among observers. The leak occurred on the last day of a …
Sea State Beijing has announced plans to establish a naval facility in Djibouti with the goal of boosting counter-piracy and peacekeeping efforts in the region. Reportedly, the Chinese installation will be located near a US …
In late October, Christine Leah and Crispin Rovere published a provocative piece on the War is Boring blog. Titled ‘Australia needs nukes’—and the Twitter accounts of the authors suggest it wasn’t their title—the piece argued …
The 99-year lease of Darwin’s commercial port to Chinese firm Landbridge Group marks an important chapter in Australia–China business relations. But the considerable controversy in the Australian defence community that has been generated by the …
In the lead up to the Paris tragedy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned about the dangers of ‘going dark’: data stored on e-mail, text messages, phone calls, live chat sessions, photos and videos being …
Countering violent extremism (CVE) may mean different things to different people, but the actual idea of CVE has become the focal point for those working to combat radicalisation. The Attorney-General’s Department identifies their focus as …
My previous column looked at the first half of the cabinet submission that never was—what the Howard government could know and ask in 2002 and early 2003 before committing to the blunder that was the …
The fallout from the Paris attacks and the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkish forces earlier this week continue. British Prime Minister David Cameron has used this opportunity to outline the UK’s strategy for …
Protecting national security equities is a tricky business in an era of globalisation. Four years ago President Obama unveiled Marine rotational training in Darwin as the single most tangible security action to mark America’s long-term …
Prospective Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson made the claim during the GOP primary on 13 November that with respect to the Syrian crisis Americans ‘must recognise that it’s a very complex place. You know, the …
2015 is the year that saw Government announce that Continuous Shipbuilding will be a permanent feature in the nation’s industrial landscape – surely, this is not an outlandish notion for a maritime nation. To understand …
The Beat Transparency International criticises UK Transparency International’s latest report Don’t Look, Won’t Find: weaknesses in the supervising of the UK’s anti-money laundering rules calls for a radical overall of the UK’s anti-money laundering mechanisms, …
David Kilcullen was on the money last week when he implored us to examine the tactics used in the 13/11 Paris attacks. As the facts continue to slowly emerge, it’s a bleak story. Unfortunately too …