By William Gourlay It’s said that politics makes for strange bedfellows. In diplomacy, it would seem that it’s seating arrangements that can be tricky. At a 6 April meeting of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel with Turkey’sfamously combative President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, von…
According to a story published by the Japanese Ministry of Defence: On January 13, 2021 Major Howlett of the Australian Army was appointed as liaison officer at the HQ Ground Component Command. It is the first time for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) to accept a liaison officer from…
Periodically, the Japanese Ministry of Defence publishes updates on the threat envelope for Japan. This month, the MOD published three briefings, one each for China, Russia and North Korea. Notably, all three of these are nuclear powers, which means that the alliance with the United States needs to deliver credible…
According to a UK Ministry of Defence story published on February 23, 2021, the UK and Australia have signed a new ‘Space Bridge’ partnership to increase knowledge exchange and investment across the two countries’ space sectors. The world’s first Space Bridge will unlock improved access to trade, investment and academic…
By Kenneth Maxwell Exeter was among the beautiful English cites chosen for attack on Hitler’s orders in retaliation for the RAF bombing of the mediaeval city of Lubeck in March 1942. The German aim was to target small English historic cities and damage historical buildings and cultural sites in revenge…
By Murielle Delaporte Sahel is among the worst nightmares for any counter-terrorist expert and planner. It feels like the old saying of getting rid of an enemy through the door before it comes back – regenerated or under a different form – via the window. In some ways the level…
On February 3, 2021, the UK Ministry of Defence published an article which highlighted the coming deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth to the Pacific and how that deployment fit into a wider strategy. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab discussed the deployment of HMS Queen Elizabeth during…
On December 10, 2020, Minister of Defense Kishi attended the ceremony for the 10th Anniversary of the Founding of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (hereinafter referred to as "ADMM-Plus"), the 7th ADMM-Plus, and the 6th ASEAN-Japan Defence Ministers’ Informal Meeting via a videoconference. What is ADMM-Plus? The ADMM-Plus is the…
