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 …
As states become less inhibited about utilising cyber as a component of state power, policymakers will be increasingly challenged to develop proportionate responses to disruptive or destructive attacks. Already, there’s been significant pressure to ‘do …
It’s important to consider steps to make the ANZUS alliance more robust to weather the challenges brought about by the rise of China. Our contributions to US-led operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan weren’t …
Pressure on the three contenders for Australia’s future submarine contract is mounting. At issue is their readiness to build all or part of the next fleet in Australia—assuaging the political vulnerabilities of the Abbott …
On 11 July, Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, the Mexican drug lord and leader of the Sinaloa cartel—arguably the world’s most powerful drug syndicate—escaped Altiplano maximum security prison in Mexico after being arrested in February last …
Singapore and Australia have nothing in common but share much. No similarities, yet multiple places where interests and attitudes touch or chime. Geographically, they are mismatched mates: the nation with a continent to itself shares …
Meet the first women to pass the US Army’s gruelling Ranger School: Captain Kristen Griest and 1st Lieutenant Shaye Haver. Later today, they’ll receive the covetted black and yellow Ranger Tab with 94 male colleagues who …
Almost a week after a powerful explosive device packed with ball bearings ripped through a throng of tourists and commuters at Bangkok’s famous Erawan Shrine killing twenty people, there’s still no clear idea of who …
Leaders and officials of 14 Pacific Island countries will convene in Jaipur today for the 2nd Forum for India–Pacific Islands Cooperation. The first was held last year in Fiji, in conjunction with the visit of …
The recent announcement that the government would seek a continuous ship-building program in South Australia has attracted endorsement (from Warren King) and criticism (from Nic Stuart and Hugh White among others). But in this post …
Labor’s long-term advocacy for a shipbuilding plan for the Australian Navy (together with Customs, CSIRO and to support the Australian Antarctic Territory) is built on two foundations. The first is that a rational shipbuilding plan …
A new report from ASPI’s Strategic Policing and Law Enforcement Program raises questions about the harms caused to Australian interests through serious and organised crime. Those harms extend to individuals and the community, businesses and …
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 …