The government’s new Defence export strategy offers little in terms of exploring the ‘market failure’ arguments for government intervention. Nor does it discuss why additional assistance is needed when there’s already considerable industry interest in …
Strategic relations exhibit a sort of dialectic. Australia scans for regional developments that might affect its security, and regional nations assess Australia’s responses to its strategic environment and respond in accord with their own interests. …
The organisational reforms to defence acquisition that followed the First Principles Review were extensive. Cassandras that we are, at the time we worried about the risk of a ‘perfect storm’ of deteriorating external strategic circumstances, …
It is clear to Taiwan that it can’t match mainland China’s military might. As a result, the country is increasingly relying on an asymmetric approach to close the gap. But Taipei’s plan to focus significant …
Based on the volume of media coverage, the casual observer might be forgiven for thinking that Australia’s planned build-up of defence capital equipment has more to do with jobs and growth than national security. Yet, …
Sea state It’s been a tragic couple of weeks at sea. The search is continuing for Argentina’s San Juan submarine and its 44 crew members, which went missing on 15 November. And three members of …
The German shipbuilder Lürssen Werft has been selected to design and oversee the building of the Australian Navy’s 12 new offshore patrol vessels. But in a move that has startled some in the industry, the …
‘The goalposts weren’t just moved, they were cut down and used for firewood.’ That’s how former Defence Department secretary Dennis Richardson characterised the impact of defence budget cuts as the three-year political cycle drove the …
The government is expected to announce soon the successful bidder for Project SEA 1180, to replace the 13 Armidale-class patrol boats with 12 larger offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) to fulfil the maritime constabulary role, with …
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 …
Navy Chief Tim Barrett has warned that Australia’s new surface warship and submarine force must be powerful enough to strike blows to deter a distant enemy from attacking Australia. In his address to ASPI’s annual …
The Australian government is about to deliberate on the combat management system (CMS) for the navy’s future frigates. In the mix are Saab Australia’s 9LV, which is already working well on the RAN’s Anzac class …