French Naval Group and the Australians: Working the Cultural Challenges

04/17/2019
By Pierre Tran Paris Naval Group (NG) is implementing a change in employee communications and behavior, in a bid to smooth out cultural differences between French and Australian staff working on a US $34 billion (A $50 billion) program to build submarines for the Australian Navy, senior executives said. That…

The Chinese Military and Exploitation of Western Technology Firms

04/17/2019
By Alex Joske For more than a year, debate has raged over allegations that the Chinese military is taking advantage of Google’s research and expansion into China. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a senate committee in March that Google’s work in China indirectly benefits the…

Enhancing Australian Options in a Crisis: Shaping a More Sustainable Force

04/13/2019
By Robbin Laird The latest Williams Seminar held in Canberra on April 11, 2019 focused on the strategic shift for Australia within the context of the evolving global situation. Facing the rising challenge posed by the 21stcentury authoritarian states, and by the changing nature of alliances in the Pacific and…

A “Plan Jericho” for Australian Energy Security: Leveraging the Hydrogen Energy Opportunity

04/12/2019
By Robbin Laird During my current visit to Australia, I had an opportunity to continue my discussions with Air Vice Marshal (Retired) John Blackburn with regard to the challenges facing Australian energy security. Increasingly, there is a perception that Australia needs to create an energy reserve or buffer with regard…

UK to Deploy F-35s to Cyprus for the First Time

04/09/2019
Cyprus has provided a key operational launch point for the RAF in the Middle East for some time. Recently, the UK updated its agreement with the Cyprus government for continued operations from Cyprus. In an article published on April 8, 2019 by Hemanth Kumar and Talal Husseini, the new agreement…

The Need for an Australian National Security Strategy: The Perspective of Senator Jim Molan

04/08/2019
By Robbin Laird During my current visit to Canberra in support of the Williams Foundation seminar which will focus on enhanced sustainability for Australian defense efforts, it is not surprising that I have been talking with Australians about how to do so. It is clear that as we address the…

Building the New and Modernizing the Old for Frigates in the Australian Navy: The Perspective of Marcus Hellyer

04/08/2019
By Robbin Laird Last year, the Australian navy announced that they would build a new class of frigates, the Hunter class. This new class will be built-in Australia with BAE Systems as the prime contractor. The Brits and the Aussies will work together on this new launch platform and the…