The Russian Invasion of Ukraine and Its Initial European Consequences

02/25/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - “The fate of not only our state is being decided, but also what Europe will be like,” the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said Feb. 24. Zelenskiy was addressing the nation on the day of the Russian early morning missile attacks on the East European…

The Nordics, the UK and the Ukrainian Crisis

01/23/2022
In our co-authored book on the return of direct defense in Europe, we highlighted the importance of enhanced Nordic defense cooperation and NORDEFCO as a coordinating forum, and the high probability that the UK post-Brexit would deepened its relationship with the Nordics as they, in turn, deepened their defense cooperation.…

How Defence Leverages the Evolving Australian Space Industrial Eco-System

01/03/2022
By Robbin Laird A key element of the presentations and discussions at the 1 December 2021 Williams Foundation seminar on building out sovereign capabilities was how Defence could best position itself to nurture, leverage and work with the evolving Australia space industrial eco-systsem. AIRCDRE Terry van Haren (Retd.), former air…

Shaping an Australian Space Industrial Eco-System for Defence and Security

01/02/2022
By Robbin Laird Sovereign Australian space requires an Australian industrial space eco-system to be shaped and enhanced. How might this be done? Crafting, shaping, and building out an Australian space industry able to provide for sovereign capabilities for the Australian government decision makers is based on the enhanced opportunities in…

Sovereignty and the Australian Space Effort

12/31/2021
By Robbin Laird Sovereignty is a tricky term, notably when it comes to global economies and to allied based national defense. The COVD-19 crisis and the conflict with the 21st century authoritarian powers, notably China, have reminded the liberal democracies of how vulnerable they are. And when American allies talk…

Global Britain? Reconsidering the UK-EU Relationship

12/22/2021
By Pierre Tran Paris - UK prime minister Boris Johnson needs to face up to geopolitical reality and forge strong links with the European Union, and accept Global Britain is little more than a “title in search of a plot,” said a report from the European Council on Foreign Relations,…

Russia’s Space Shot across NATO’s Bow

11/22/2021
By Richard Weitz The Russian military obliterated a defunct Soviet-era Tselina radio-surveillance satellite, Cosmos 1408, that had been orbiting almost 500 kilometers above the Earth since 1982, with a single-short anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon on November 15. Though intended to intimidate the West, like the Russian military mobilizations near Ukraine and…

Reshaping Maritime Security and Defense Capabilities in Eastern Mediterranean

11/16/2021
By Robbin Laird The Abraham Accords set in motion enhanced maritime security and defense capabilities in the Eastern Mediterranean. The UAE, Bahrain, the U.S. and Israel cooperated in a five day exercise in the Red Sea to reinforce defense and security relationships in the maritime domain,. Vice Admiral Brad Cooper,…