Sea state The US Navy is conducting exercises in the Sea of Japan with three aircraft carrier groups. The US Ships Theodore Roosevelt, Nimitz and Ronald Reagan are participating in the drills, which began on …
The world The decades-old Iranian–Saudi rivalry ramped up this week after Saudi Arabia accused Iran of supplying arms to the conflict in Yemen and using Hezbollah to exert political influence in Lebanon. The Lebanese prime …
Sea state The Australian government has brought forward the decision on upgrading the RAN’s anti-ship missile defences due to regional volatility. The RAN will upgrade the Nulka active missile decoy system on the Anzac-class frigates …
US President Donald Trump is arriving in Asia at a moment when the region’s security situation is practically white-hot. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, recognising that the world’s ‘center of gravity is shifting to …
A press briefing on the Australian future submarine (FSM) program by Jean-Michel Billig, the Australian program director for Naval Group (formerly DCNS), at the PACIFIC 2017 international maritime expo a few weeks ago set some …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. How long will the Collins-class submarines operate …
The world China watchers everywhere have spent the week glued to their screens for the CCP’s 19th Party Congress. This Brookings Institution video explains why the Party Congress matters. The main event of the Party …
Welcome to The Strategist Six, a feature that provides a glimpse into the thinking of prominent academics, government officials, military officers, reporters and interesting individuals from around the world. 1. As chairman and chief executive of …
The Turnbull government’s foreign-policy white paper is due any day, and it’s a fair bet it will not recommend what is fashionably called an ‘independent foreign policy’. That is bound to upset many intellectuals, former …
Exactly 75 years ago, Australians dressed in steel helmets and khaki shorts, and often not much else, sat in weapon pits in the Egyptian sun about 120 kilometres west of Alexandria. They were preparing for …
As military cooperation between France and Australia increases, the French Navy is stepping up its presence in the Asia–Pacific region to protect its trade routes and demonstrate the importance it places on international maritime law. …
Sea state This week, the US Navy commissioned its newest nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Washington. The Virginia-class ship is nicknamed ‘Blackfish’ after the local Native American name for the killer whale. At the commissioning ceremony, …