By Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn AO (Retd) and Group Captain Anne Borzycki (Retd) Australia has a lengthy history of seeking protection from great and powerful western saviours due to a long-held fear of invasion from "the north." Stunned by the withdrawal of British Forces following the surrender of Singapore in…
By Robbin Laird RSL Australia has recently released a paper by John Blaxland of the Australian National University which underscores the need for a broader Australian national defence strategy rather than one narrowly focused on the Australian Defence Force. “The Returned & Services League of Australia (RSL Australia) was formed…
By Richard Weitz The Ukraine War and other recent conflicts highlight the imperative of preserving U.S. air superiority. Ukraine demonstrates the challenges militaries face when they do not enjoy air superiority. In that conflict, advanced drones have provided the most effective combat air support for both the Russian and Ukrainian…
We have published our latest book on Australian defence. This book is the second in the series on Australian Defence and Deterrence the first having been published in 2023. The book begins with a contribution by John Blackburn and Anne Borzycki who look at the broad impact of Australian politics…
By Robbin Laird On May 14, 2024, I visited 2nd Marine Air Wing to have the opportunity to speak with the Commanding General of the Wing, MajGen Scott Benedict. This was two days before the change of command and his subsequent retirement after a distinguished career in the Marine Corps…
By Robbin Laird I have been coming to Australia since 2014 to participate in and write the seminar reports for the Sir Richard Williams Foundation. What started out as a Foundation focusing primarily on airpower has transitioned over that period to focusing on shaping the ADF as an integrated force,…
When the past government and the current one underscored that the warning time for the defence of Australia has been dramatically reduced because of Chinese behavior and lack of commitment to the “rules-based order”, it seemed like a critical turning point. Only it really is not. The current government has…
By Robbin Laird As the United States faces a global overload of strategic challenges and the concomitant challenge of shaping an effective and capable force to deal with these challenges but having serious budget stringencies, leveraging the unique capabilities which the United States already possesses is crucial. It is nice…
