By Robbin Laird As Australia looks to expand its sovereign options, expanding the reach of its reconnaissance-strike enterprise is a key tool set to do so. As presenters suggested at the Williams Foundation conference, it was less a question of reaching and striking deep into potential adversaries’ territory and more…
Pushing back on the Chinese projection of power into the Pacific is a key priority for the US and the allies. At a recent Williams Seminar, a senior Australian Army official argued that China had already pushed its way out to achieve its first island defense strategy. Clearly, it is…
By Robbin Laird Australia is building an integrated force and working to extend the reach and range of that force. This is a core effort for the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force and clearly focused on dealing with challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. But what is…
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation seminar on joint strike and deterrence was led off by a presentation by Wing Commander Jo Brick. The WGCDR focused on looking back at the experience of the RAAF in the strike domain historically and then posing questions about the way ahead for the…
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation seminar held on August 23, 2018 on independent strike was operating within the background of the overhanging issue, or the elephant in the room, of the second nuclear age. The question of what deterrence looks like with the rise of new nuclear powers and…
By Robbin Laird The Williams Foundation seminar on August 23, 2018 focused on the evolving role of independent strike within the evolving Australian deterrent strategy. Currently, the Australian submarine force provides the longest-range stealth strike platform within the ADF. Although it posseses modest force of six Collins class submarines, the…
By Robbin Laird In my interview with the head of the Air Warfare Centre, Air Commodore “Joe” Iervasi, prior to the August 23, 2018 Williams Foundation Seminar on independent strike, he raised the key question of the relationship between the ADF building an integrated force and the broader considerations of…
By Robbin Laird During my time in Canberra during August 2018, one key point of conversation was the question of the impact of the evolution of Europe on Australian policies, and policy flexibility. The uncertainty hanging over Europe with regard to Brexit and the UK’s role in Europe, plus the…
