By Robbin Laird Canberra, Australia I have been coming to Australia for five years and working the seminar reports for the Williams Foundation in support of the Australian Defence Force Modernization. This modernization process has been very much focused not simply on recapitalization of the force but shaping a new…
According to the Chinese press: The Chinese military will take part in the Vostok-2018 (or East-2018) strategic drills in Russia from late August to mid-September, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced on Monday. Military forces from the two countries will hold joint operation exercises at the Tsugol training range…
Background For over twenty years the F-111 provided the Australian Defence Force with a strike capability with the strategic reach to provide Australia with an independent strike option should deterrence fail. With the retirement of the long-range F-111, Australia’s future air strike capability now rests in the capabilities of the…
By Robbin Laird During my current visit to Australia, I had a chance to continue my discussions with Ross Babbage about the challenges of dealing with 21st advanced authoritarian states. Recently, he co-authored a study entitled “ Countering Comprehensive Coercion: Competitive Strategies Against Authoritarian Political Warfare,” and with that as…
Hypersonics has been a key priority for the US until the last Administration pushed the work done to that date into dormancy. But neither the Russians nor the Chinese went to sleep while the US focused on and resource the land wars instead. They continued to make progress on this…
By Robbin Laird The PRC is combing military with economic with political warfare means to expand its global reach. In the words of Ross Babbage, the PRC and Russia are focused on making the world safe for authoritarian states. https://sldinfo.com/2018/08/information-warfare-and-the-authoritarian-states-how-best-to-respond/ As the context within the Pacific changes, Australia, Japan and…
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 Air Marshal VK Jimmy Bhatia (Retd) Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, has confirmed that IAF has received bids from six global vendors in response to IAF’s Request for Information (RFI) for 110 modern combat jets, and that the induction of 36 Rafale jets already…
