Prioritizing the Direct Defense of Australia: Shaping a Way Ahead for the ADF?

09/15/2022
By Robbin Laird In my discussion with Marcus Hellyer, he highlighted the importance for Australia to prioritize the direct defense of Australia for the future evolution of the ADF. This is how he put it: “What is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) purpose-built for?” And here he posed what is…

Facing the Challenge of Shaping a Way Ahead for Australian Defense: A Conversation with Marcus Hellyer

09/13/2022
By Robbin Laird I have recently arrived back in Australia after my last visit in March 2020. The pandemic gap years are now over and I have come to Australia as the new Labour government has launched a comprehensive defence review. Shortly after my arrival in Canberra, I had a…

The German Defense Re-set: Implications for Shaping an Integrated Airlift Fleet

09/12/2022
By Robbin Laird On February 27, 2022, the German Chancellor announced a major re-set of German defense and security policy. On that date, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a €100 billion increase for defense procurement spending. This commitment was certainly welcomed by Germany’s allies, but the challenge of turning enhanced…

Enhancing U.S. Navy Fleet Capabilities: Reshaping the Approach to Sustaining the Force

09/08/2022
By Robbin Laird Recently, the U.S. navy's CNO Gilday underscored that fleet numbers are limited by the relatively limited defense industrial capacity in the United States. A clear challenge is to rebuild and enhance the "arsenal of democracy." “We have an industrial capacity that’s limited. In other words, we can…

An Indian Perspective on the Role of Cruise Missiles in Australian Defence

09/07/2022
By Debalina Ghoshal A number of developments call for Australia not only to reply on defensive means to defend itself, but also rely on offensive capabilities like cruise missiles as part of its defense arsenal. Some of these developments are: North Korea’s ongoing missile development program, coupled with its nuclear…

The CH-53K and the Software Upgrade Process

09/03/2022
By Robbin Laird A key difference between legacy 20th century military platforms and 21st century platforms revolve around software upgradeability. With the legacy platforms, integration on the platform has been done by additive change, with then having to modify the platform in various ways to incorporate the additive change. With…

Working Manned-Unmanned Teaming in Logistics Support: Technology Operational Experimentation Exercise 2022

08/30/2022
The use of robots, unmanned systems, and automation of various kinds is of growing significance to providing logistical support to combat forces. During the 2021 Williams Foundation seminar on next generation autonomous systems, Col. David Beaumont, a noted ADF logistician and strategist, underscored the growing importance of such systems for…

An Update on HMAS Canberra: August 2022

08/26/2022
By Lieutenant Nancy Cotton After almost three months at sea on a regional presence deployment through the Pacific, HMAS Canberra is heading back to her home port in Sydney. In June, HMA Ships Canberra, Warramunga and Supply set sail on the regional presence deployment. Canberra sailed from Townsville with embarked forces from the Australian Army, His Majesty’s Armed…