The ANAO’s major projects report: missing sub-stance
By Michael Shoebridge*
It’s a fantastic idea: given the government is spending some 36.4 billion taxpayer dollars on defence, much of which is in the...
How the fleet forgot to fight
By Dmitry Filipoff*
Force Development
Exploring the future of conflict while preparing to wage it is a daunting task. Military forces are constantly attempting to perceive...
The new era of great-power competition
By Graeme Dobell*
The first strategic priority for Australia in the Indo-Pacific is to manage great-power competition. And the central trend of that competition is...
Boost to parliamentary defence committee needed
Secisions of national importance are made behind closed doors. The public, and even parliamentarians, must rely on promotional releases or leaked details for information about major programs. There are good reasons for secrecy. But secrecy doesn’t have to take precedence over accountability and good standards of governance. There is now a bipartisan judgement that Australia needs a new statutory committee with an exclusive focus on defence — a joint parliamentary committee on defence.
Action needed to avoid submarine capability gap
The recent advice from the chief of Australia’s navy that the first Shortfin Barracuda may not come into service until the mid-2030s is sobering news, Peter Briggs writes. It’s time to inject some competition and provide an option that could avoid the issues with the future submarine program that appear to be unfolding — an option that could provide additional submarines quicker, cheaper and with less risk. The solution is an evolved Collins
Indonesia has a stake in Lombrum plans too
By Evan A Laksmana*
During the November APEC Summit, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the US will work with Australia and Papua New Guinea...
US and China: competition for leadership, not conflict
By Peter Layton*
We are not entering a new Cold War, despite both Chinese President Xi and US Vice-President Pence finding the term a useful...
South China Sea: makings of a new cold war?
By K B Teo*
Synopsis
Tensions in the South China Sea (SCS) have somewhat abated but the latent flashpoint remains. In mid-October 2018, a near collision...
Can China and the US avoid war, asks Keven Rudd
Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd — in his keynote address at the US Naval Institute's New China Challenge conference in October — considered...
Bravo Zulu naval honours project completed
Bravo Zulu Project, initiated in 2009, was brought to a successful conclusion last month with the official launch of Bravo Zulu: Honours and Awards...