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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
By Robbin Laird It is clear that 1914 was a clear turning point in European history with clear impacts on global history and development. While the 19thCentury saw the rise of the European powers, the coming of World War I destroyed the European dominance of the global system. 2014 is…
The Williams Foundation launched a series of seminars in 2013 which address the transformation of theADF into a fifth generation force. Last year, we focused on the strategic shift from the land wars to crisis management with peer competitors. The next seminar to be held in Canberra on April 11,…
The Australian government signed an agreement in 2016 with Naval Group to build a new class of attack submarines. There have been challenges to reach a partnering agreement, including intellectual property and other issues. Last month, a core partnering agreement was signed enabling further working relationships to be established essential…
