France and the Australian Submarine: A Ministry of Defence Update

09/23/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - Australia has paid most of the €900 million (US$1 billion) due for work on the initial design studies for the Shortfin Barracuda attack submarine, with some payment still to be made, a French defense ministry official said Sept. 21. “There remains some to be paid,”…

Australia Changes its Submarine Acquisition Path: French Reactions

09/17/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - France heaped bitter resentment on Canberra’s axing an industrial partnership to build 12 attack submarines for the Australian navy, while opting to order American-designed boats as part of a strategic alliance with the U.S. and the UK. The French foreign and defense ministers filled on…

The Wagner Group to Work with Mali Government?

09/16/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - France has warned of pulling military support out of Mali following a media report of a prospective deal between Bamako and the Wagner Group, a shadowy Russian company of mercenaries seen to be expanding its presence in Africa. The French defense and foreign ministers told…

My Personal Remembrance of September 11th at the Pentagon

09/11/2021
By Robbin Laird In an article which I originally published on Breaking Defense on September 11, 2011, I recalled those events from the perspective of being in the Pentagon that day. That article follows: Early on the morning of September 11th, I had an appointment in the Pentagon with a senior…

The Taliban Shaping the Afghan Narrative: Afghanistan Goes Dark

08/24/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - The prospect of the Taliban exercising a severe grip on Afghan society fuels fears for the rights of Afghan women, lives of journalists, and freedom of the press in a stricken nation. That grim outlook for independent reporting has led to calls for governments around…

France, Afghanistan, and Evacuation Dynamics

08/20/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - A third French military flight was due to arrive in the evening of Aug. 19 at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport, bringing in more than 200 evacuees from Afghanistan, the armed forces ministry said. “The evacuation operations launched on Sunday evening are continuing,” the ministry…

July 2021 Japan-UK Defence Ministerial Meeting

08/09/2021
According to a press release from the Japanese Ministry of Defence, the Japanese and UK defence ministers met on July 20, 2021 in Japan. On July 20, 2021, commencing at 13:00 for approximately 60 minutes Minister KISHI held a Defense Ministerial Meeting with Secretary of State for Defence of the…