The Way Ahead in European Defense Industrial Co-operation: The French Perspective with the FCAS as Incubator

01/26/2023
By Pierre Tran Paris - A project for a future combat air system (FCAS) backed by France, Germany, and Spain has sparked close interest elsewhere in Europe, the French armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said Jan. 23. “There are other European nations knocking at the door,” he told the Association…

Public Communications and the FCAS: A Case Study?

11/24/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - Perhaps future masters students at business and journalism schools will be presented with the European future combat air system as a case study on how not to handle communications on a multi-billion euro military project loaded with political and industrial implications. There appears to be…

Edward the Peacemaker: Remembering How Fragile Peace Is

11/23/2022
By Kenneth Maxwell In Tiverton there is a statue of King Edward VII on the bridge over the River Lowman. The River Lowman joins the River Exe a short distance downstream and delineates the riverine boundaries of the old town of Tiverton in mid-Devon. I pass by King Edward’s statue…

The European Political Community: The First Meeting, October 2022

10/09/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - U.K. prime minister Liz Truss was among the 44 political leaders from Europe attending Oct. 6 the first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a summit seeking to boost solidarity following the invasion of Ukraine ordered by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Truss was…

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…