The Beat Mafia link to poverty The mafia’s negative effect on Italian security is well documented. But research also indicates that organised crime is affecting the country’s economy. Researchers at Bocconi University have indicated that organised …
With a large part of the Western Pacific comprising the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of one country or another, it’s a real concern that the US appears not to accept some aspects of the EEZ …
In my previous post, I described the changes to submarine operations driven by developments surfacing in detection technology. The conclusions were that submarines would have to be able to deliver their effects from greater distances …
Monday’s bombing of Erawan shrine in central Bangkok has killed at least 22 people and injured more than 120. Yesterday, a second bomb fortunately resulted in no injuries when it bounced into the water at …
The release of the personal information of 1,500 people by Islamic State (IS) Hacking Division was one of the more prominent cyber stories this week. IS claimed it had hacked sensitive databases to obtain the …
In his recent speech at American University, President Obama slammed critics of the Iran nuclear deal suggesting that they offered no alternative but war and were regurgitating the same arguments used to justify the use …
National security interests and international obligations are aligned in prompting Australia to do more to legislate against travel in support of terrorism and to counter violent extremism (CVE). Doing so domestically is difficult; effective progress …
Sea State HMS Artful, the third of seven new Astute class nuclear attack submarines for the Royal Navy, was delivered by builder BAE to begin trials on 13 August. The 7,400 tonne boats are 97 metres …
Warfare is changing, and not just in the most obvious and visible ways. Yes, there are new technologies, newly assertive foes, and new ideologies. But to fully understand how it’s evolving, you must examine the …
Ahead of a high-level countering violent extremism (CVE) meeting planned for the margins of the United Nations General Assembly next month, our Strategic Insights paper released today, Security through aid, argues that CVE and terrorism …
With Indonesia’s annual growth rate now heading below 5%, President Joko Widodo’s cabinet reshuffle may have been mainly designed to revitalise the country’s flagging economy. But the political changes and what lay behind them also …
As a member of the Defence Minister’s White Paper panel, I’ve had many discussions about issues that paper will wrestle with (and a few that it certainly won’t, but that’s a post for another time). …
From an inauspicious and somewhat controversial start, the CEP has leapt into pride of place as the ‘process of choice’ for the Government when considering large maritime defence projects. Not only has it been used …
The Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister, Zheng Zeguang, set the tone for the recent ARF Cyber Workshop in Beijing when he said there should be three priorities for the nations gathered in the room. First, that …
Australia is re-embracing the Indo–Pacific as the defining geographic expression of defence strategy. The Indo–Pacific was the big new theme of Labor’s 2013 Defence White Paper, and it’ll have the same status in the Coalition’s …
Stuck without a good read for over the weekend? Look no further than this week’s ASPI suggests, brought to you all the way from balmy Canberra. The Iran Deal is certainly the flavour of the month. Bound …
There is little to argue with in Beyond 2017: The Australian Defence Force and Amphibious Warfare by Ken Gleiman and Peter J Dean. It’s soundly thought out, well written, and concludes with a number of …
Australia’s public policy debate on irregular migration and border security has become bogged down in a polarised ideological war characterised by poisonous politics. This ideological war has done little to innovate border security migration policies …
The plethora of commentary on parliamentarians’ entitlements has pointed to systemic failure (a lack of clear guidance and rules) as a more fundamental cause of the problem than simple venality and carelessness on the part …
Australia is about to be taken out of its international comfort zone. Over the next 20 years we will face the biggest changes to our strategic environment since the arrival of the First Fleet. The …