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Reworking the Australian-American Alliance

08/19/2019It is clear that for Australians, the United States is the key military partner for their own defense efforts. But it is also clear, that reworking the relationship in light of the dynamics of the current and last Administration have put a spotlight on what Australia needs to do to enhance its own flexibility in dealing with threats in the… Read more »

Quick Reaction Alert Royal Air Force Operations

08/18/2019The Royal Air Force is deployed on Operation AZOTIZE in Estonia in support of Baltic Air Policing. And earlier this month engaged in its "seventeenth QRA scramble resulting in an intercept since the RAF took over enhanced Air Policing (eAP) from the German Air Force on 3 May 2019 as part of Baltic Air Policing. The UK operates in support… Read more »

Japan in Tailsman Sabre 2019: Opening the Aperture on Perimeter Defense

08/18/2019We argued in our 2103 book on Pacific strategy, that Japan would work to enhance its perimeter defense and move eventually towards what we called a two anchor appraoch. We argued that expanded perimeter defense is a key part of what we referred to as the "dynamic defense" phase in Japanese policy. We argued that "this meant greater reach of… Read more »

The UK and Norway Shape Enhanced Cooperation for ASW Operations in the North Atlantic

08/17/2019By Robbin Laird Recently, both the UK Ministry of Defence and Norwegian Ministry of Defence websites highlighted the meeting between the UK Minister of Defence and the Norwegian States Security of Defence held at RAF Lossiemouth in August 2019. Defence Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan hosted Norwegian State Secretary Tone Skogen to discuss NATO and the UK’s role in the North Atlantic.… Read more »

The Fourth Battle of the Atlantic, the Nordics and the Direct Defense Challenge

08/17/2019In 2016, Vice Admiral James Foggo III, currently commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, spoke of the current situation in the North Atlantic as the arrival of the fourth battle of the Atlantic. “In the early 1990s, the end of the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and commentary such as Francis Fukuyama’s landmark essay “The End of… Read more »

Integrating New Military Technologies with New Arms Control Arrangements

08/10/2019By Richard Weitz The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treatyhas officially died, as both the Russian Federation and the United States have executed their previously announced withdrawals. The two immediate causes for the treaty’s demise were Moscow’s cheating on the accord and Beijing’s growing land-based intermediate-range (500-5500km) missile arsenal. The United States would not have withdrawn from the treaty if Moscow… Read more »

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Fifth-Generation Enabled Military Transformation: Australia, the UK and Shaping a Way Ahead

06/13/2019Australia and the UK are located in very different parts of the world. But both face significant challenges from a regional power with global reach. And both are reshaping their militaries to face the strategic shift from the land wars to full spectrum crisis management. Each has a different trajectory but through the common acquisition… Download PDF Now »

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SDB1 Arrives for the RAAF’s F-35s

08/18/2019By Sergeant Max Bree and Corporal Mark Carter Bombing capacity of F-35As has quadrupled with the arrival of small diameter bombs introduced to No. 3 Squadron in June. The GBU-39/B Small… Read more »

Western Australia Indo-Pacific Conference 2019: The Australian Defence Minister Sets Out Long Term Goals

08/17/2019The WA Indo-Pacific Defence conference is the flagship defence industry and defence issues conference. This year’s conference examined topics such as; ‘Partnership roles’, ‘industry support for the changing operational environment’,… Read more »