By Pierre Tran Paris - Patrick Pailloux has been appointed as the head of the Direction Général de l’Armement (DGA), with the senior official taking up Nov. 17 the top job at the arms procurement office, an official notice of the Nov. 10 cabinet meeting said. Pailloux, a former officer…
Australia stands at a maritime crossroads. The choices it makes in the coming years will shape not only its security and economic prosperity, but also the stability of the wider Indo-Pacific region. The Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, as covered in detail by The Australian, showcased this inflection point: expanding…
In 2007, an MV-22 Osprey touched down on the deck of HMS Illustrious, marking the first time this distinctive tiltrotor aircraft had landed on a non-American vessel. The moment was more than a technical milestone. It was a preview of a transformation that would reshape Marine Corps aviation over the…
By Robbin Laird This is the second in our series about our 16-year path associated with our defense websites, Second Line of Defense and Defense Information. Recognition of the contribution of the many talented individuals who have contributed to the path forward is central to highlighting the path forward as…
By Robbin Laird Research Fellow, Sir Richard Williams Foundation, Canberra, Australia In an age of instant reactions, social media pile-ons, and policy-by-press-release, the University of Canberra has launched an audacious experiment: a center dedicated to the radical proposition that historical perspective and civil disagreement might actually improve public policy. The…
By Robbin Laird We stand at a peculiar moment in history where multiple powerful forces are reshaping the global order, yet these variables of change do not converge toward any clear, coherent outcome. This paradox defines our era: dramatic transformation without discernible destination. In a recent conversation I had with…
2016-03-02 Our colleague Air Vice Marshal (Retired) John Blackburn has focused attention on the energy security shortfall for Australia for some time. As an island continent at the bottom of the Asia Pacific region, Australia is heavily dependent upon liquid energy imports and with a rapidly disappearing domestic refinery production capacity,…
2016-01-30 Recently, our partner defenceWeb looked at the evolving challenges of maritime defense and security seen from South Africa. Thursday, 28 January 2016 Economic growth through development of the ocean economy as part of Operation Phakisa requires effective maritime surveillance and defence, with nearly 4 000 kilometres of South Africa’s…
