If there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last 25 years, it’s that government can’t successfully run naval dockyards in Australia. This is why the National Commission of Audit recommended the immediate privatisation of ASC. There …
The strategic discussion between the US and China can’t be called a dialogue of the deaf. The talk is loud and each side hears the other. Yet a lot of mishearing is happening. Perhaps the …
Welcome back to another round-up of interesting things to read, listen and watch from the world of defence and security. First up, what should we do if the Islamic State ‘wins’? Live with it, says Stephen …
Last week US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a French interview that the American-led coalition had recorded more than 10,000 deaths of ISIS combatants since fighting against the group commenced last year. …
In the last few months Pakistan’s Government has made a number of decisions that have drawn the country even further into China’s geostrategic orbit. And although China and Pakistan have had a long and fruitful …
In my first post yesterday I set out the case for a radical reappraisal of our alliance with Washington. My argument doesn’t reflect a neutralist or anti-American disposition. Rather it’s an attempt to advocate a …
It seems the 2015 Defence White Paper is only a couple of months away, so the big decisions about capability plans and funding should by now have been nailed down, and the White Paper team …
The Beat FBI and NSW Police combat art crime Members of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and New South Wales Police will meet in Sydney this week to discuss art crime. Bonnie Magness-Gardiner, who …
For 64 years the ANZUS alliance has been the holy grail of Australian national security policy—the alliance on which Australia relies in the event of an armed attack which it can’t repel alone. But there …
In what’s believed to be potentially the largest compromise of US government employee information ever, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) was recently breached by hackers. The Department of Homeland Security announced that malicious …
Barely a day goes by when ISIL isn’t in the news, or there’s no new report detailing its activities, adroit use of social media or recruiting methods. In the midst of all this, al-Qaeda has …
One can only conclude that the Commonwealth Government is actively facilitating the demise of the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC). The government-owned shipyard has been singled out as responsible for a $3 billion blow-out in cost, …
The unfolding humanitarian and political disaster in Iraq and Syria is ultimately a consequence of confusion, impetuosity, a preoccupation with tactical issues at the expense of strategic ones, and an ignorance of the political, communal, …
Technology is steadily marching in the direction of increased autonomy, a change that will undoubtedly influence weapon platforms in the future. The notion of offensive use of lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS)—systems that can independently …
In a Special Report launched today, we show how Australia’s defence science policy is at a critical juncture. Years of budget salami slicing and organisational change to refocus on short-term services has left the Defence …
Remember a decade ago when the US appealed for China to be a responsible stakeholder? Congratulations, Washington. Wish come true. China sure is responsible for a lot of things happening strategically and economically. And a …
It’s the Queen’s birthday public holiday here in Canberra so we’ll be back tomorrow with our usual considered analysis, stats and graphs for your reading pleasure. Meanwhile, if you’re looking for something to read, check out …
With the second G7 kicking off next Monday, and plenty of foreign and security policy issues set to be on the table, make sure you take a look at German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s op-ed in …
Peter Jennings has recently argued that Australian (and American) ground force personnel, now training elements of the Iraqi army, should accompany them into combat in the future. This change of operational tactics seems necessary following …
Ringed as we are by archipelagos, freedoms of navigation and overflight (FON) are extremely important to Australia. The archipelagic sea lanes (ASL) passage introduced by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) …