Operation Bushfire Assist: The Australian Defence Force Responds

01/13/2020
By Andrew McLaughlin The Federal government has mobilized the ADF to support rescue and recovery operations for the ongoing bushfire crisis affecting NSW and Victoria. Following a National Security Committee of Cabinet meeting on January 4, Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Defence Minister Senator Linda Reynolds, and Chief of Defence Force…

An Update on European Defense Industrial Generated Systems: January 2020

01/12/2020
Pierre Tran Paris Industrial partners Airbus and Dassault Aviation last month cut an offer to between €7 billion-€8 billion ($7.8 billion-$8.9 billion) from a previous price tag of some €10 billion, to win a production contract for a European medium-altitude long-endurance drone, an industry source said Jan. 9. The partners…

Perspectives on French and European Defense Policies: 2019

01/07/2020
During the past year, Pierre Tran, based in Paris, has provided our readers with insights on the evolution of French and European defense policies. The series of articles has provided insight into how the Macron Administration has been addressing European defense policy as well, as in the case of Australia,…

French Arm Their Reaper UAVs: Conduct a Strike in Mali

01/07/2020
By defenceWeb France has for the first time conducted an air strike with one of its Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles in Mali, days after guided bombs were added to the aircraft. The French military said the strike took place after an operation during the night of 20/21 December that saw…

Nigeria Builds Out Maritime Capacity in 2020

01/07/2020
By defemceWeb The Nigerian Navy (NN) plans to take delivery of 41 new vessels in 2020, including patrol boats, interceptors and a hydrographic survey vessel. In mid-December, the Nigerian Navy’s head of policy and plans Rear Admiral Beegroy Ibe-Enwo said it will receive new vessels from France, Malaysia, Vietnam and…

Iranian Missiles in Iraq and the Killing of Soleimani

01/06/2020
By Debalina Ghoshal A few weeks before the US killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) head, Maj Gen. Qassem Soleimani, there were reports that Iran was placing short range missiles in the chaotic Iraq to affirm its strategic position in the region. Placing of short range missiles would have…

Disaster Resilience: Meeting the Challenge

01/06/2020
By John Blackburn As we deal with the ongoing bushfire disaster in Australia it is worth reflecting on the report the Department of Home Affairs National Resilience Taskforce did in 2018 on Australia's disaster risk and vulnerabilities. The aim of the report was to help understand where to prioritize collective…

The Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command and Crisis Intervention: Insertion Into the Baghdad Embassy Crisis

01/03/2020
The United States along now with the Japanese are the only tiltrotor enabled combat forces in the world. This unique capability has been the backbone of innovations in distributed operations for the USMC for more than a decade of combat experience. And the upgrading of the Osprey underway for the…