This post is a contribution to a series leading to ASPI’s Future Surface Fleet Conference at the end of March. Early bird tickets are now available. The prospect of future conflict being conducted in contested, extremely …
This week’s update features Afghanistan, dishonesty in the US Army, Land 400, the PLA’s war-gaming technology, Houthi rebels, and women in combat. Over on Small Wars Journal, the ADF’s Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Smith released a paper …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iib89Zy_8rM Terrorists operating against Western targets claim their acts are inspired, and in many cases required, by Islam. But should our leaders be openly linking Islam and terrorism or is it better if they publicly deny …
This week’s update discusses American drone exports, the state of Russian and Indian fifth-generation fighters, new technology advancements and complications, and the upcoming 2015 Australian International Air Show. First, last Tuesday US President Barack Obama …
Two incidents so far this year have highlighted Australia’s inability to protect its sovereignty and discharge its responsibilities in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. In the first incident in January, three foreign fishing vessels were …
Joko Widodo was elected on the policy platform of defending Indonesia’s political sovereignty and territorial integrity, with a good dose of economic nationalism thrown in. That policy platform now manifests itself in a range of …
It was another big week for submarines here in Australia. Early last week the Defence Minister’s office said that the competitive evaluation process for the Collins-class submarine replacement will involve two distinct stages—a request for …
In a town that’s already cluttered with reviews and white papers, do we really need another one? My answer, which I argue in a new paper released today (available here), is an unequivocal yes. As far …
Smoke clears. Agony and anguish ebb. The fallen depart. The integration of AusAID into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade—the greatest revolution in Australia’s foreign policy bureaucracy since 1987—is done, if not dusted. The …
Kim Jong Un unveils sculpted eyebrow work and defined hair at Politburo meeting today | @KCNAWatch pic.twitter.com/lbejbtJeUb — Frank Feinśtein (@frankfeinstein) February 19, 2015 In this week’s collection of reads and podcasts, we’ve got Islamic State …
Peter Jennings’ piece ‘Indonesia and Australia: prisoner’s dilemma’ points out the main options in the shorter term for the Australian government in considering possible negotiations with Jakarta over Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran’s urgent situation. …
Defence Minister Kevin Andrews’ confirmation on Monday that tenders were finally about to open for LAND 400—a $10 billion project to replace Army’s thousand or so M113, ASLAV, and Bushmaster combat vehicles—sparked considerable interest from …
With continuing uncertainty in Australia about the future direction of SEA 1000, it’s both interesting and refreshing to visit Sweden to see what’s happening regarding the development of the next generation of submarines. There’s a …
Put aside for one moment your emotion over the looming execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. Anger and appeals to decency won’t save them. The only thing that might work is to think through …
Welcome to CT Scan, a weekly wrap of developments and ideas in terrorism and counter-terrorism (CT) from Australia and abroad. First, there have been some domestic developments resulting from the Sydney siege, with the joint …
This week’s installment covers unexplained wealth, the ACC and gangs, anti-bikie laws, cybercrime in Australia, CVE and the Boston Marathon bomber trial. Unexplained wealth: revenue or effect? While the Australian Government works through the options …
Concepts are long-lived in the world of strategy—so long-lived that we need to revisit them periodically to confirm that their meaning hasn’t shifted. Lately, I’ve started thinking that the notion of a ‘second nuclear age’ …
In what was a big week for Canberra international cyber policy folk, in addition to ICPC’s workshop in KL, last week also saw the inaugural meeting of the Australia–Japan Cyber Policy Dialogue. The meeting was …
I’ve often argued that the best predictor of the ADF’s future force structure is the current one. In other words, it’s much more likely that today’s platforms and capabilities will be replaced by something that …
Welcome to Rapid Fire, a weekly wrap of recent developments in international land warfare, to run alongside other regular ASPI updates like the long-running Cyber Wrap and the more recently added Sea State and The Beat. …