By Robbin Laird In his presentation at the recent Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference, the recently appointed Chief of Army, Lt. General Simon Stuart highlighted how he saw the way ahead for the Australian Army. “War is a national endeavour, and as a so-called middle power, we fight alongside…
By Robbin Laird At the Williams Foundation Seminar held on September 28, 2002, the new Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, underscored that Australia faced a significant range of challenges to the nation associated with threats emanating from the Indo-Pacific region. As he put it: Australia is a paradox.…
By Robbin Laird During my September 2022 trip to Australia in my role as a Research Fellow of the Williams Foundation, I wrote the report for the September 28, 2022 seminar and engaged in discussions during the month focused on the nature of the challenges facing Australia and the need…
On September 28, 2022, the Williams Foundation hosted its latest seminar. The focus was on the challenges which need to be addressed in making the biggest change to Australian defence seen in recent memory. Rather than focusing on the away games and support for its major ally in such efforts,…
With a war raging in Ukraine and the threat of conflict over Taiwan, a shift from a peacetime mindset for the U.S. military and the defense ecosystem of the United States is crucial. I have just returned from Australia, where the government has launched a strategic review built around the…
By Pierre Tran Paris - U.K. prime minister Liz Truss was among the 44 political leaders from Europe attending Oct. 6 the first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a summit seeking to boost solidarity following the invasion of Ukraine ordered by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Truss was…
By Robbin Laird The launch point for the Williams Foundation Seminar held on September 28, 2022 was the presentation of Dr. Alan Dupont. Dupont provided a comprehensive examination of how fluid and dynamic that environment was for Australia and the liberal democracies. He underscored that several crises were happening at…
During my current visit to Australia, I had a chance to discuss challenges facing Australia as the country re-focused on the direct defence of Australia. And such a shift clearly raises questions of shaping forces to defend the perimeter of defence for Australia as well re-shaping the force for this…
