Sea state Australia has committed $175 million to upgrade the Lombrum naval base on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. The project will improve electricity and road infrastructure, provide accommodation for around 400 PNG military …
Publicly revealed by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) in 2019, China’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) project—the Digital Currency Electronic Payment, or DCEP—is an early-stage endeavour to rewire the global economic system using emerging …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. Created to both know and kick the Department of Defence, ASPI pursues this part of its …
In late April, President Joe Biden reiterated his pledge to bring an end to American complacency on the world stage. ‘We are in competition with China and other countries to win the 21st century,’ he …
Sea state The US Navy has christened its new littoral combat ship USS Canberra, the second US vessel to be named after the Australian capital and the only ship in the current fleet to be …
The Defence Department’s decisions on acquiring tanks and the next generation of armoured vehicles are contentious and seem to always generate passionate responses. In 2018, former major general and now senator Jim Molan duked it …
Sea state Both of the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth–class aircraft carriers have sailed together for the first time, in a symbolic culmination of the UK’s ‘carrier renaissance’. According to naval commander Commodore Steve Moorhouse, the …
Sea state The wreckage of Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala 402 was found on the sea floor following a five-day search with support from India, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the US. All 53 crew members and …
Sea state China’s assertive maritime policies and naval ambitions are being met with an increased European presence in the Indo-Pacific. This year, the UK’s new aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth, will transit the South China …
US President Joe Biden has hit the ground running. In his first two days in office, he signed 17 executive orders—more than any previous US president over the same period. He rejoined the World Health …
If sometimes it seems that governments rush to appoint inquiries or royal commissions, then I want to assure you: this is no modern-day phenomenon. The bombing of Darwin, on this day 79 years ago, prompted …
There are growing signs that a military crisis could erupt across the Taiwan Strait this year as China flexes its military muscle to strongarm Taipei into accepting unification. ASPI’s Peter Jennings notes that Beijing is …