In Australia and in my home country of Canada, we’re seeing various responses to radicalisation. Putting security and police officials at the front of the reintegration and de-radicalisation efforts is important, but they won’t be …
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) is set to report tomorrow on the tricky matter of whether the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill 2015 is necessary and appropriate. As the …
Both Kevin Andrews, the Defence Minister, and David Feeney, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence, were kind enough to respond to my criticisms of the Government’s naval shipbuilding program in a recent column, and especially its …
Imagine you’ve joined the military, and are being issued your uniform and gear. The surly man behind the counter shoves a pile of stuff at you, including two pairs of boots, and tells you to …
The slow and stuttering course of the Australia–India relationship over the last 70 years has been troubled by the Curse of the Cs. The Cs are about what the two Indian Ocean states seem to …
All eyes have been on Beijing this week as signs of a slowdown in the Chinese economy have been felt across the globe. With Chinese President Xi Jinping set to visit Washington DC next month, …
Two recent articles on Defence acquisition one here by my colleague Mark Thomson and another in the AFR here by John Kerin quoting Warren King caused me to reflect on the long journey Defence has …
A fortnight ago, a group purporting to be the Islamic State Hacking Division released the names, email addresses, passwords and telephone numbers of almost 1,500 individuals, the majority of whom are reportedly US Defence personnel. …
There is, in my judgement, one very good reason for expanding our present military operations into Syria, which is sufficient to justify it, and three very bad ones which should not be relied upon at …
In an opinion piece in The Australian today I argue that while COAG’s recent counterterrorism strategy (PDF) usefully outlines the importance of engaging the Australian public (and a range of other sectors such as business) …
The Beat Ticket to fraud Fraudsters have taken advantage of a new target connected to our daily transactions—the troubled public transport ticket system Myki. Public Transport Victoria have refunded $4.2 million to international credit card …
The rise of ISIS allied with the seemingly inevitable mass migration caused by climate change is confronting Australia’s military and intelligence leaders with a devilish conundrum. No one yet has a plan to meet the …
Recent analysis (PDF) and commentary by ASPI (echoed elsewhere) has questioned the wisdom of the Government’s intent for a new fleet of surface ships. These concerns boil down to the presumed vulnerability of such vessels …
I’m in Taiwan this week as a guest of the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies, speaking at the ROC (Taiwan)–US–Japan Trilateral Security Dialogue, a meeting held annually since 2011. It’s a similar idea to …
The US Department of Commerce announced last week that it’s extended its Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers until 30 September 2016. While originally scheduled for …
Last Monday’s bombing at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok killed 22 people and injured more than 100. As first responders struggled to treat casualties and secure the site in the heart of the city’s tourism …
Once again, Hugh White has put the cat among the pigeons; this time, by questioning the wisdom of the government’s shipbuilding plans. Within days, we had responses from a retired admiral and no less than …
Surprise, surprise! The US has asked Australia to bomb ISIS targets in Syria. The Australian government is to give this request deep reflection and consideration, and will respond in a couple of weeks. And surprise, …
If Australia is to choose the Japanese contender for their future submarine then it should be because it’s the best fit for our ongoing strategic requirements, fully meets project criteria, and is the most economically …
Sea State Australia’s second Canberra-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), HMAS Adelaide, is currently undergoing its final sea trials with a crew of BAE Systems employees and RAN personnel. Additionally, HMAS Canberra, the first of the …