Arguing the case for nuclear-powered submarines, Tony Abbott laments that, under plans to acquire French-designed conventional submarines, the RAN will take delivery of a class that: will have less power, less range, less speed and …
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. You commented recently that Palestinian disenfranchisement …
Sea state The US Coast Guard is still looking for a vendor to equip its Legend-class national security cutter with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Lacking the expertise to operate UAVs itself, the Coast Guard wants …
We wrote an ASPI report on ballistic missile defence (BMD) back in 2014. We set out to assess whether the time was right for Australia to make a bigger investment in BMD than the ‘watching …
On 2 January 2010, street gang member Hugo Hernandez was kidnapped in the state of Sonora, Mexico. Seven days later, pieces of his body were found spread across several locations in the town of Los …
On the same day that the third and near-final draft of the text of the UN’s new Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons was released, North Korea tested its latest missile, boasting it had …
At a recent conference in France, a number of Europeans surprised their American guests by arguing that US President Donald Trump might be good for Europe. With Trump returning to Europe for the G20 summit …
John Coyne provides an interesting perspective on what he sees as the problem of our political leaders focusing on quick-fix, get-tough security measures (such as installing bollards and calling for a 24/7 AFP tactical response …
Q: Which neighbour is more different to Australia—Indonesia or Papua New Guinea? A: Impossible to say. As neighbours forever, Australia, PNG and Indonesia constitute an extraordinary triangle. The contrasts and clashes abound. Each neighbour is …
At the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) yard in Mumbai, ‘Venki’ Venkatesan is considered something of a tyrant. He’s the quality control manager and a key part of the team overseeing every tiny stage in …
With my partner-in-crime, Amelia Long, having flown the coop, I’ll be striking out on my own once more to bring you some choice reading, listening, et al. each Friday. Let’s muck in … Developments this …
This year’s G20 summit in Hamburg promises to be among the more interesting in recent years. For one thing, US President Donald Trump, who treats multilateralism and international cooperation with cherished disdain, will be attending …
The Abbott era ‘mega department’ thinking might be passé, but there are still more than a few bureaucrats and politicians advocating the creation of an Australian department of homeland security. While Peter Jennings and I …
Professionals and experts are often heard with dissonance today. Two contrasting recent studies concerning European views on Russia shine a partial light on why that’s so. They also may point to future issues of strategic …
The 1987 defence white paper, The defence of Australia, didn’t represent new thinking. Some observers may have thought that was the case, given the anxious critiques of it by advocates of ‘forward defence’, particularly those …
The Beat The riot will be tweeted It has long been held that social media can be used to detect disruptive events—like riots—before more conventional reportage. While companies like Dataminr have sold that idea to …
National election campaigns remain vulnerable to cyber threats in two main areas, as ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre noted in its recent publication, Securing democracy in the digital age. Political elections consist of the procedural …
North Korea’s latest provocation—a successful test of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM)—brings the long-building crisis on the Korean peninsula to a dangerous flashpoint. For one thing, it’s clear evidence that North Korea aspires not merely …
How natural gas is bought and sold in the world’s scattered regional markets for the fuel is changing rapidly. A single global market for natural gas has finally arrived. Behind the evolution is improving technology …
On Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump will arrive in Poland, where he will meet with Central and Eastern European leaders on Thursday at a summit of the Three Seas Initiative. Also on Thursday, before …