Shaping a Way Ahead for the ADF: Meeting the Financial Challenges

10/06/2022
During my current visit to Australia, I had a chance to discuss challenges facing Australia as the country re-focused on the direct defence of Australia. And such a shift clearly raises questions of shaping forces to defend the perimeter of defence for Australia as well re-shaping the force for this…

An Early Look at the 2023 French Defence Budget

09/29/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - France will next year order 42 Rafale fighter jets, worth some €4 billion ($4 billion), and take delivery of 13 units, major line items in the draft 2023 defense budget which will total €43.9 billion, up €3 billion from this year’s arms spending. The government…

French 2021 Arms Exports: Analyzing the French Government Report

09/25/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - France delivered weapons to Russia worth a total €344.9 million ($339.2 million) between 2012 and 2020, with a peak of shipments worth €81.7 million in 2014, the 2022 government report to parliament on arms exports said. That high point of French deliveries in 2014 occurred…

The Defense of Taiwan Seen in a Global Context: A Polish Perspective

08/04/2022
By Robert Czulda Since February 2022, the world's attention has been focused on the Russian aggression against Ukraine. But once again we see a dangerous escalation in the Taiwan Strait. This is a direct result of imperialist appetites of the PRC, who considers Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of…

U.S. Space Leadership Mandates Musk’s Heavenly Gaze

07/26/2022
By Richard Weitz Whatever benefits Elon Musk might have brought to Twitter as its owner, U.S. space power will undoubtedly benefit from the deal’s collapse. Generous support in Congress, including enormous subsidies, and strong NASA backing empowered SpaceX to contribute to the recent resurgence of U.S. interest, investments, and technologies…

What the West Gets Wrong about Putin

07/07/2022
By Harald Malmgren In 1999, Vladimir Putin suddenly sprang from bureaucratic obscurity to the office of Prime Minister. When, a few months later, Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned and Putin was voted in as President, governments around the world were taken by surprise yet again. How could this unknown figure have amassed…

Europe, the War in Ukraine and Shaping a Way Ahead: The Perspective of General (Retired) Petr Pavel

07/06/2022
By Robbin Laird On July 3, 2022, General (Retired) Petr Pavel, the former head of NATO’s Military Committee, and now candidate for President of the Czech Republic, agreed to be interviewed by a team led Joël-François Dumont. Joining the interview team were Françoise Thom, the noted French Russian expert, Colonel…

Australia and France: New Governments and Next Steps

06/14/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - Australia seeks to calm troubled waters by paying shipbuilder Naval Group (NG) €555 million (US $581 million) for sinking a large French submarine deal, with Canberra pledging to resume close relations with Paris. That desire to be mates again with France follows the Australian Labor…