Australia is going to build nuclear submarines as part of a new broader defence technology pact with the US and the UK. How much the world has changed since just April 2016. Back then, Australia …
Last Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that he wouldn’t be contesting the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidential election at the end of September. In doing so, he effectively signalled his intention to resign …
Australia’s strategic value to Japan can be summed up in three points. Australia is Japan’s partner in bearing the torch of democracy, a quasi-ally with which Japan will work to maintain the Indo-Pacific as a …
You can have a cheap submarine capability, or you can have a safe and effective one. There’s no third option. Australia has chosen the second option; consequently, its submarine capability costs a lot. But how …
Japan’s new defence white paper, Defense of Japan 2021, affirms Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s continuation of his predecessor Shinzo Abe’s proactive contribution to regional peace and security. Stemming from a desire to counter any trend …
In my last post, I looked at the latest information on the life-of-type extension program for the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarines. That’s essentially Defence’s strategic risk mitigator for its long submarine transition. But it’s …
The Royal Australian Navy is in the early stages of a long transition that is notable for its strategic risk. Both its core surface and subsurface combat fleets are ageing but are planned to be …
ASPI celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. This series looks at ASPI’s work since its creation in August 2001. Australian naval shipbuilding has a long history. Calling it a chequered history only just captures the …
Arguably the biggest submarine program in the Western world outside of the United States, Australia’s submarine development continues to raise concerns about cost. ASPI’s Michael Shoebridge and Marcus Hellyer examine the outcomes of the recent …
In 2020, Asia—especially East Asia—was often touted as a model of effective pandemic response. While Western countries endured harsh lockdowns and soaring infection and death rates, Asian countries largely kept the coronavirus under control. But …
The loss of any submarine should be a catalyst for countries with submarines to review the likely causes and responses to determine if any lessons can be learned, in much the same way that airlines …
In Adelaide’s The Advertiser newspaper on 7 March, former defence minister Christopher Pyne said, ‘Then there is the nonsensical argument that the Attack Class submarines are no good because they aren’t nuclear. Almost all of …