Calls to fast-track the construction of new patrol boats to replace Navy’s hard-working but troubled Armidales, partly to help forestall the valley of death facing the nation’s naval shipyards, occur amid continuing debate over the …
Will globalisation reduce the chances of war in the Asia-Pacific? The numbers say we can’t be sure. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that 2014 is the centenary of the outbreak of …
Here’s one version of the creation story of Australia’s defence organisation and civil–military relations: God made heaven and earth, and on the sixth day, just before He rested, God made Arthur Tange. No, wait, that’s …
We’re kicking off this week with a suggestion to look at the testimonies of a range of US Asia experts for the US–China Economic and Security Review Commission. Of interest to Strategist readers are testimonies …
In the last two weeks, there have been a number of articles circulating (including here, here, here and here) that Indonesia has formally recognised a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. This …
As Tony Abbott wings his way to Northeast Asia, up to 130 ADF personnel are already there, participating in a major US-led amphibious exercise off the South Korean coastline. That number comes from a mid-March …
Tony Abbott’s first trip to North Asia as Prime Minister will have a strong business and trade flavour. He will be accompanied by a phalanx of business heavies and state and territory leaders. The business …
The American move to fully empower ICANN has been heralded as a game-changing development. The ICANN 49 meeting in Singapore last week launched efforts to facilitate the transition, and in the coming months, the mechanisms …
While the political relationship between Australia and Indonesia is going through a tough time, the close relationship between their two police forces continues. That’s good for Australia and Indonesia because this relationship supports both countries’ …
No doubt by now most Australian readers would have heard that the popular Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo, also known as ‘Jokowi’, is the frontrunner for Indonesia’s upcoming presidential election. His meteoric rise from humble furniture …
It would have been interesting to be a fly on the wall at the meeting last Friday between US President Obama and Saudi King Abdullah. With reports emerging that Obama is again considering the possibility …
First up, a haiku on the Internet from the New York Times haiku generator: The Internet is // emotionally a very // flat experience. Many Turkish citizens would agree with that sentiment this week as they found …
The Australian government recently approved the acquisition of a fleet of US Navy Triton surveillance drones to patrol our oceans. Australia has mostly used Israeli drones to date, such as the Herons in Afghanistan. So as …
‘Hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to virtue.’ François de La Rochefoucauld Documents leaked by Edward Snowden last week appear to show that the National Security Agency (NSA) has secretly tapped into the networks of …
After almost two years as Executive Editor of The Strategist, it’s time for me to hand the reins over to my colleague Rod Lyon. With the team of Natalie Sambhi and Kristy Bryden in place …
The Australian military spends years and effort to create the modern Canberra officer. Like many Defence building efforts, this one is complex with no real end point. With each generation, the requirements expand (and don’t …
Yesterday, the UN General Assembly voted on a resolution, proposed by Ukraine and backed by the United States and European Union, to affirm its commitment to Ukraine’s internationally-recognised borders and to dismiss the Crimean referendum …
In an earlier post, I reported on comments I made to the Air Power Studies Conference in Canberra last week (PDF). Today I address the old shibboleth of maintaining a ‘strategic edge’ in airpower capability, …
The Snowden revelations seem to have been the final straw that broke American resolve against the internationalisation of the Internet. After beating back numerous counter-proposals from Russia and China, working tirelessly to keep a restless …
I recently took a look at the ANAO’s audit of the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) program. The report is a solid read at 320 pages, but should be required reading for anyone making decisions about …