by Anthony Bergin | Jul 3, 2023 | Indo Pacific
Environmental challenges such as climate change, marine plastic pollution and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing are increasingly posing serious threats to Indian Ocean countries, especially the smaller island states. Other threats include...
by Lesley Seebeck | Jun 28, 2023 | Uncategorized
One measure of whether a government is ready to manage uncertainty and deal with crises is the tools it has at its disposal. Too few tools, and government are left with too few options, often too little nuance in dealing with the messiness of the world, and more than...
by Anthony Bergin | Jun 23, 2023 | Strategy & Capability
According to Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, Russia could destroy subsea cables in Europe and America. As a maritime power the US connects with its friends and allies around the world through submarine cables. Almost all our communications, including...
by Lesley Seebeck | Jun 22, 2023 | Strategy & Capability
When the military say ‘move fast and break things’ it usually means something different to that in the world of technology. Yet that saying has been adopted from the tech world by defence ministers and officials, reflecting a conviction that government is too slow,...
by Peter Jennings | Jun 19, 2023 | Europe, Reading
This excellent study introduces the embryonic air capabilities of the major combatants in the first World War. Many will think of the war primarily as the grinding infantry and artillery campaigns of the Western Front, but air power grew rapidly. Britain counted 113...
by Peter Jennings | Jun 19, 2023 | Europe
The Economist magazine greeted Germany’s June 14 release of the country’s first national security strategy with the snide headline “Big Words.” The document “does not make for exciting reading” the Economist declared. It is true that the statement is cautious and,...
by Michael Shoebridge | Jun 19, 2023 | Strategy & Capability
How trusting of Deputy Prime Minister Marles to receive a scathing report about how broken the Defence bureaucracy is and to then turn to that same bureaucracy to heal itself. And how important for Australia’s security that he reconsiders and changes course. That’s...
by Anthony Bergin and Maurice Brownjohn | Jun 18, 2023 | South Pacific
The extraction of deep seabed mining resources on an industrial scale at incredible depths is a new frontier with many unknowns. But the potential gains are immense. Deep sea deposits contain manganese, cobalt, nickel, gold, silver, copper, and a wide range of rare...
by Peter Jennings | Jun 16, 2023 | Defence Budget, Strategy & Capability
Australia’s defence industry leaders typically operate below the radar when it comes to critiquing defence policy. That’s hardly surprising. The industry has one customer – the government – and business doesn’t complain about the paymaster. This has created a...
by Michael Shoebridge | Jun 9, 2023 | AUKUS, Strategy & Capability
It’s a real positive that prime mInister Albanese took the time to visit Barrow-in-Furness, the UK town which, together with Adelaide, will build the joint Australian-UK subs. His visit demonstrated that the government is committed to the AUKUS deal. That’s good to...
