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 …
Articles by: "Mark Thomson"
Four years ago we produced a paper on the production timeline for the future submarine, and what that meant for the longevity of the Collins fleet. Our ‘Mind the Gap’ paper was based on information …
China’s role in the world continues to evolve strategically and economically. For those watching from a safe distance—such as the capitals of Europe—China’s strategic trajectory doesn’t even rate a mention amid the scramble for profit. …
The Turnbull government’s new Defence White Paper promises to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2020–21—three years earlier than Tony Abbott promised. Better still, they’ve provided an explicit table of Defence funding across …
On Tuesday, the Defence Minister re-committed to releasing a White Paper in the first quarter of this year. That means it’ll be fewer than 51 sleeps before we see the document. More importantly, it means …
Andrew Shearer was Tony Abbott’s national security adviser. In an article published in mid-January co-authored with US analyst Michael Green, he said that ‘senior US officials and military officers are in no doubt both as …
According to the newspapers, the government’s Competitive Evaluation Process (CEP) for the Collins replacement yielded bids of between $10 and $12 billion for eight boats, with the price for 12 boats below $15 billion. Delighted …
Australia and Japan have been moving closer on security matters since the mid 2000s. The first ministerial Trilateral Strategic Dialogue between the two countries and the United States was held in 2006, and a Joint …
In a rare moment of not talking about submarines or frigates at the recent PAC2015 meeting, we sat down for a talk with the good folk from MDBA, a multinational company that does a lot …
We’ve been at the PAC2015 maritime expo and conference this week. There’s only really been two topics of conversation on the trade floor: the future submarine and the future frigates. Admittedly those two projects amount …
There’s only one question in defence circles today: Will Malcolm Turnbull retain Tony Abbott’s commitment to spend 2% of GDP on defence in 2023, and if so, in what form? Prior to the leadership change, …
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 …