We’ve not heard a great deal from senior figures in Tokyo’s political establishment about Australia’s decision to partner with France for the SEA 1000 project. That all changed this week when CSIS’s Japan Chair Michael …
The Belgian historian Henri Pirenne linked Europe’s birth as a Christian continent in the eighth century to its rupture with Islam. Pirenne probably would never have expected a Muslim ghetto in Brussels to emerge, much …
It’s now commonplace for terrorists to use industrially available chemical explosives like ammonium nitrate or everyday technology like mobile phones to detonate improvised explosive devices. In a recent op-ed in The Australian with my colleague …
In the extensive discussion about the decision on the future submarine project a key point has been missed. The government intends to sign what is merely a three year design contract with the French company …
I’ve been trying to understand the government’s policy on defence industry. Having read the recent Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) it seemed straightforward, but then I looked closely at the Prime Minister’s recent announcement about …
While I was ambassador to the US, I visited Electric Boat’s yard in Groton, Connecticut, where the US Navy’s latest Virginia-class nuclear submarines are under construction. This wasn’t an indulgence. Part of my job was …
The Beat New resources on organised crime There are some interesting new resources out on organised crime. The Global Initiative has created a framework (PDF) for how national development actors can analyse and more effectively …
The recent bribery allegations made against an offshore arm of Leighton Holdings in Iraq and Tabcorp in Cambodia shouldn’t be taken lightly in Australia. They come on the back of the Australian Wheat Board (AWB) …
Back in 2009, Sean Costello and I wrote an ASPI paper called How to buy a submarine (PDF). I’m still writing about submarines, while Sean now has the job of actually delivering a dozen of …
On 27 March 1918, near Franvillers, Major General John Monash stood on the heights overlooking the Somme Valley. He was alone, except for a single staff officer. In the distance he could see the German …
For the past few years, Andrew Davies has examined the annual USAF budget projections for the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter (most recently here). The F-35A will be the most numerous of the three variants of …
While last night’s Federal Budget is still being picked apart, it seems that Defence will be funding the lion’s share of the new cyber priorities announced as part of the recent Cyber Security Strategy. Of …
I’d like to make some comments about the recent Australian Defence White Paper, comparing it with some strategic documents published by the Government of Japan (GoJ). I have great respect for the effort that’s been …
Just as knowing what Santa is going to bring you takes some of the fun out of Christmas morning, last night’s budget was pretty unexciting from a defence perspective. With one small wrinkle, the government …
With the outcome of the long-awaited SEA 1000 Competitive Evaluation Process seeing France’s DCNS announced as the international design partner for the future submarines, Australia must now manage the diplomatic fallout with the two failed …
Sea State A US Navy flotilla was refused entry by the Chinese government to the port of Hong Kong last week. Pentagon spokesman, Commander Bill Urban, said the US Navy had asked the Chinese to …
Donald Trump’s loutish campaign for the US presidency has left most of the world – excluding, perhaps, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his European populist allies, like France’s Marine Le Pen—confused and aghast. Indeed, it …
The announcement that French defence contractor DCNS had been selected as Australia’s international partner to build RAN’s new fleet of 12 submarines was big news in Australia. That’s understandable considering the multi-billion dollar, decades-long contract. …
Malcolm Turnbull’s aim for an ideas boom looks set to take some flesh in tonight’s Federal Budget, showing up in everything from cities and infrastructure initiatives through to a re-focusing of tax policy. Yet although …
It’s all but certain that the government will make good on its white paper funding commitment in tomorrow’s Budget. With the fanfare of the submarine and frigate announcements still echoing, it would be political suicide …