The Ruler of the East: Kim and Vladimir Meet and Maneuver

04/25/2019
By Lucas Bertolo Kim Jong-un arrived this Wednesday in Vladivostok on his armored train. It is his first time in his northern neighbor since he took power eight years ago. It is going to be also his first meeting with Vladimir Putin. The summit will take place at the Far…

Reworking the Franco-German Arms Export Policies: A Crucial Challenge Facing FCAS

04/19/2019
By Pierre Tran Paris, France France and Germany need to update a 1972 joint agreement on arms exports, a bilateral pact which has economic bearing on a planned European fighter jet, the future combat air system or FCAS. Eric Trappier, chairman of GIFAS, highlighted the challenge at the GIFAS press…

French Naval Group and the Australians: Working the Cultural Challenges

04/17/2019
By Pierre Tran Paris Naval Group (NG) is implementing a change in employee communications and behavior, in a bid to smooth out cultural differences between French and Australian staff working on a US $34 billion (A $50 billion) program to build submarines for the Australian Navy, senior executives said. That…

The Need for an Australian National Security Strategy: The Perspective of Senator Jim Molan

04/08/2019
By Robbin Laird During my current visit to Canberra in support of the Williams Foundation seminar which will focus on enhanced sustainability for Australian defense efforts, it is not surprising that I have been talking with Australians about how to do so. It is clear that as we address the…

Huawei, 5G Networks: ASPI Provides a Case Study With Regard to Restoring Infrastructure Sovereignty

04/06/2019
With 2014 came the end of an era. It was apparent that authoritarian powers were back and in many ways’ ascendant. The response by the liberal democracies has been varied and differentiated. Some have taken it seriously; others hope that the past period of hope for a globalized democratization process…

Germany’s Embargo on Saudi Arabia and the Limits of European Arms Cooperation (Updated)

04/05/2019
By Pierre Tran Paris - Germany’s renewal of an arms embargo on Saudi Arabia effectively casts doubt as the lead partner for France to build a future fighter jet, drone, and tank, key projects to boost consolidation in the European defense industry. Berlin on March 28 extended by a further…