By Michael Shoebridge Australian governments at all levels have learned a lot between the onset of the bushfire season and the first stages of the novel coronavirus pandemic. There’s a clear understanding that national crises require coherent national responses. And that the seams between and among the Commonwealth and the…
by defenceWeb The European Union is stepping up its efforts to enforce the UN arms embargo on Libya through the launch of a new CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) military operation in the Mediterranean. The European Union (EU) Council on 31 March adopted a decision launching Operation EU Navfor…
NATO Allies have joined efforts with private companies and academic institutions in the fight against the global pandemic of the Coronavirus. These efforts include making 3D printing available to produce ventilator masks, which represent a crucial component of the medical equipment required to treat patients hit by the Coronavirus. In…
Certainly, one key impact of the Coronavirus crisis has highlighted in the crucial role of connectivity to allow 21st century societies to function even under duress. Stay at home orders would not even be feasible without those "at home" being able to connect over their phone lines and internet connections,…
By George Galorisi The deployment of two U.S. Navy hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, to the ports of Los Angeles and New York City, respectively, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic has made international news. It has also put a punctuation mark on the importance of ports and…
by defenceWeb The French Navy has suspended its Mission Corymbe off West Africa due to the COVID-19 coronavirus, and withdrawn a vessel from the area. The patrol vessel Lieutenant de Vaisseau Le Henaff, which departed Brest on 3 March for West Africa, returned to France at the end of the…
By Robbin Laird The argument of my forthcoming report on the nature and impact of the new build Australian OPV program is that the new build OPV is shaping a new template for Australian shipbuilding. And it is one in which the role of the prime contractor is being redefined…
NORFOLK, Va. (March 28, 2020) The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departs Naval Station Norfolk, Va. March 28, 2020. Comfort is deploying in support of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts and will serve as a referral hospital for non-COVID-19 patients currently admitted to shore-based hospitals. This…
