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…

By John Coyne Recently, ASPI researcher Albert Zhang shone a spotlight on a sophisticated Chinese Communist Party information campaign targeting rare earths and Australian company Lynas. This research has powerful implications for those policymakers seeking to create resilient supplies of rare-earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals. REEs are a group of 17…

By Gil Savage Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re more aware of the weaknesses of globalisation and the flaws of managing supply and demand through just-in-time practices. The problem is clear for Australia’s policymakers, but the solution less so. Some hanker for a return to 1970s-style Australian manufacturing, forgetting it…

In a story published by the Australian Department of Defence on April 29, 2022, the RAAF was noted as achieving a new milestone in its refueling of a Japanese fighter aircraft. For the first time, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has conducted air-to-air refuelling flight testing with the Japan…

According to a story published by the USMC written by Maj. Jorge Hernandez and published on April 25, 2022: Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. Mark Wise announced the Marine Corps has achieved initial operational capability in the CH-53K King Stallion on April 22, 2022. This plan supports Gen. Berger’s…

By Australian Defence Business Review Australia will spend $580 million to upgrade ports in Papua New Guinea, enhancing some of the country’s out-dated infrastructure, providing useful facilities for use by Australian and allied warships, and – perhaps most importantly – warding off investment by China. Under an agreement signed by…

According to the USAF: “U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 20th Special Operations Squadron familiarize themselves with the new nacelle improvement modifications on a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., Jan. 7, 2022. "The improvements should increase aircraft availability and reduce required maintenance actions, leading…

By Australian Defence Business Review Where once aircraft maintenance was conducted according to time passed and hours flown, the maturing field of digital fleet sustainment is delivering better maintenance with improved aircraft availability at reduced cost. This concept isn’t new, but the greater accumulation of data, coupled with a growing…