BAE wins $35m contract in frigate program
The Minister for Defence, Christopher Pyne, has announced Defence and BAE Systems Australia have entered into an Advanced Work Arrangement (AWA) to cover ongoing...
Photo of US-China near miss published
The ABC has published a photo of the near miss between USS Decatur and a Chinese destroyer. Defence reporter Andrew Greene reports: Leaked US...
A working sub fleet – for less than half the cost
By Dr Tom Lewis*
Now we have a new PM, he should look urgently at scrapping the plans for our new submarine fleet. Australia’s present...
Wheat’s role in Russian naval power
World Naval Developments – September 2018
By Norman Friedman*
This year, as for the past two, Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter. That recalls...
China’s interest in Manus island
By Malcolm Davis*
Chinese influence in the South Pacific is growing. Through ‘debt-trap diplomacy’, Beijing is extending a spur off its Maritime Silk Road that...
Would US nuclear submarines be a cheaper option?
By Marcus Hellyer*
The conversation about acquiring nuclear-powered submarines continues to bubble along. Some commentators who previously supported acquiring conventional submarines to replace the current...
Manus Island’s strategic importance
By James Goldrick*
The Admiralty Islands lie to the north of New Guinea and are part of Papua New Guinea. The largest island, Manus, possesses...
Climate change, Pacific’s biggest security threat
By Wesley Morgan*
When Pacific island leaders gathered in Nauru this month, they issued a security declaration affirming climate change as the “single greatest threat”...
Restoring Australia’s Pacific media presence
By Kevin McQuillan
The departure of ABC Managing Director Michelle Guthrie just two-and-a-half years into her five-year term reflects the board’s decision to seek "fresh...
McCain’s life and death: an Indian sailor’s musings
August this year marked the passing of former Prime Minister Vajpayee in India and Senator John McCain III in the United States. Their backgrounds...