by Rob Bourke | Feb 14, 2025 | Defence Budget, Featured, Policy, Strategy & Capability
This month marks the first anniversary of the release of the government’s 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy. At that time, the Strategy attracted little attention besides some pretty critical reviews. Not much has changed since—despite the document dealing...
by Marcus Hellyer | Feb 4, 2025 | AUKUS, Defence Budget, Featured, Strategy & Capability
Last year I warned about the proliferation of unsubstantiated claims about the economic benefits to Australia of AUKUS and the domestic construction of nuclear submarines. Such claims are nonsense. All economists will tell you that defence spending simply transfers...
by Anthony Bergin and Michael Shoebridge | Jan 7, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Strategy & Capability
‘Narco-subs’ are semi-submersible vessels drug lords have used for at least a decade to smuggle drugs to Europe or across the Caribbean. They sit just below the water with small chunks of the vessel above it. One intercepted by the Colombian Navy in late 2024 shows...
by Michael Shoebridge | Dec 20, 2024 | Strategy & Capability
A troubled US Navy frigate program looks like a humming top of efficiency and value compared to our Department of Defence’s $27 billion program to get 3 Hunter class frigates for our Navy. The bad news is the Australian Government isn’t doing anything to change...
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Dec 1, 2024 | AUKUS, Defence Budget, Podcasts, Strategy & Capability
Defence’s disappointing Annual Report & Hypersoni | RSS.com In Episode 30, Marcus and Michael look at what the numbers in Defence’s Annual Report tell us about Defence’s ‘fasttracked’ work on missiles, helicopters & ships. The...