Mines: the perfect asymmetrical weapon
By Tom Sharpe*
All eyes watching the Iran war are still, rightly, on the Strait of Hormuz.Tehran has controlled it since March 1, only allowing...
Combining sonar defence roles
As the Iran war has shown, detecting and sweeping mines is one of the biggest challenges for the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile, the sea service...
US boosting uncrewed vessels
The U.S. medium-sized uncrewed service vessels fleet could jump from roughly four to 30 vessels by 2030 in the Indo-Pacific, according to officials. As...
Japan’s shipbuilding revival
By Awais Feroze Hanif*
From its peak during the 1960s through 1980s, the Japanese shipbuilding industry’s global market share has fallen precipitously – eroded by...
Exercise Balikatan 2026 underway
Exercise Balikatan is underway. It is the largest annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Philippines and the US, and this year it includes Australia,...
Admiral Paparo on the US Indo-Pac command posture
Earlier this month the Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Paparo gave verbal and written evidence to the US Congressional Armed Services Committee about...
Gaps in Australia’s maritime defence
By Jennifer Parker*
In 2023, the Australian government adopted a “strategy of denial” to guide defence planning, defined as an “defensive approach designed to stop...
NDS: new emphasis on uncrewed vessels
By Malcolm Davis*
Australia’s updated defence capability spending plan has put strong emphasis on uncrewed air and underwater systems, strike weapons, and defence against advanced...
Learning lessons from Ukraine and Iran
The Government has announced funding for counter-drones of up to $7 billion over the next decade. This funding, contained in the 2026 Integrated Investment...
Killing drones at the speed of light
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) is pleased to release a new explainer examining the opportunities and challenges that directed energy weapons (DEW) present...