The Beat Narcotic control strategy reports What’s that? You want to read about international narcotics control strategies? Well, you’re in luck. Both the United Nations and the US State Department have recently released reports on …
The Federal Government’s Defence White Paper signals a complete redesign of the relationship between the Australian Defence Force and industry. The Turnbull Government’s broader National Innovation & Science Agenda has significantly impacted this White Paper …
It’s time to look past Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs—this is Oz and the Seven White Papers. (No word to hand on the Handsome Prince capability trial or cost blowout in the digital poisoned …
Australia’s seventh Defence White Paper was announced as we approach the 40th anniversary of the first Defence White Paper, tabled in Parliament in November 1976. A 40th anniversary is an appropriate time to reflect on …
This year’s Defence White Paper was accompanied by a document entitled 2016 Integrated Investment Plan (IIP) (PDF), which claims to bring together ‘for the first time’ the following: Unapproved Major Capital Investment Program Approved Major …
This week saw the passing of one of the pioneers of cyberspace, Raymond Tomlinson, who was the first man to ever send an email. While Tomlinson didn’t invent email, he did transmit the first message …
A new reality is emerging in Asia. In recent decades, many of Asia’s economies have boomed. The region today accounts for about 40% of the world’s GDP—up from 25% in 1990-and contributes about two-thirds of …
Australia’s new Defence White Paper has plenty to say about a ‘secure, resilient Australia’. Paragraph 3.6 states: ‘Our interest in a secure, resilient Australia also means an Australia resilient to unexpected shocks, whether natural or …
Today, ASPI released our report on Time to start worrying again? Cross-strait stability after the 2016 Taiwanese elections (PDF). It argues that the Australian government would be well-advised to pay greater attention to the emerging cross-Strait …
There’s little that’s new in our new White Paper, but there’s one bold innovation which has so far received less attention that it deserves. The Turnbull Government has substantially downgraded, if not quite completely abandoned, …
Back in mid-February, we were in India for the 2016 Quad Plus Dialogue as guests of the Vivekananda International Foundation. This was the third event in a series that kicked off in Canberra in 2013. …
The release of the Defence White Paper, Defence Integrated Investment Plan (DIIP) and Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) provides what industry has been asking for over the last 18 months; some certainty. Certainty about how …
Today marks International Women’s Day, so it’s a pertinent time to assess how Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper addresses the issue of women, peace and security (WPS). At first glance, the paper provides a useful …
Sea State The US Navy’s John C. Stennis Strike Group has been dispatched to the South China Sea this week. According to the Navy’s 7th Fleet, the group transited the Luzon Strait on 1 March …
Note: All growth rates are compounding rates calculated between initial and final year. The Defence workforce is often viewed through the Orwellian lens of uniformed personnel good, civilian personnel bad. It’s as if the former …
There’s always a certain anticlimax when the latest Defence White Paper is released. The once-feverish anticipation eases as firm plans are set in concrete and potential maybes are accepted or rejected. However, there’s more to …
The current controversy over Australia’s Future Submarine Program, its schedule and the associated life-of-type of the current Collins class has resulted in much hyperbole as to the difficulties associated with keeping elderly boats in operation. …
As US President Barack Obama prepares to embark on an historic visit to Cuba, the future of the communist-ruled island is the subject of widespread speculation. Some observers are hoping that the ongoing shift toward capitalism, …
Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper states that it’s second Strategic Defence Interest is ‘a secure nearer region, encompassing maritime Southeast Asia and the South Pacific’ (3:68), which includes Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Pacific …
A Defence White Paper is analysis framed by numbers. More than dollars and equipment, the numbers offer meanings and mental maps. Seek the topography from the typography. The crudest measure is to rank countries by …