Australia, Deterrence and Shaping a Way Ahead for Australian Defence: The Perspective of LTGEN Simon Stuart

04/08/2023
With the Australian Army having been heavily invested in the Middle East land wars and working closely with the U.S. Army in those endeavours, what is role in the enhanced emphasis on the direct defense of Australia? Of course, each of the services and the joint force itself is facing…

Integrated Deterrence and the China Challenge: The Perspective of General Wilsbach, the PACAF Commander

04/06/2023
By Robbin Laird At the 30 March 2023 Williams Foundation seminar which focused on the way ahead for deterrence, one of the most significant of the presentations was General Wilsbach, the PACAF commander. He has come to Williams seminars since he was the 11th USAF Commander. And as PACAF Commander,…

The Perspective of Air Marshal Chipman: Shaping a Way Ahead for the RAAF

04/04/2023
By Robbin Laird I have known Air Marshal Chipman since he was the first co-chair of Plan Jericho. My first interview with him was with his co-chair Jake Campbell, now of Northrop Grumman. In that first interview conducted in their offices in 2015, the emphasis was taking the coming of…

The Strategic Shift and Australia Recasts Its Defense Policy: The March Williams Foundation March 2023 Seminar

03/31/2023
By Robbin Laird The latest Williams Foundation Seminar was held on March 30, 2023 in Canberra. It was entitled “Sharpening the Edge of Australia’s National Deterrence Capability” and focused on the strategic transition of Australia and the ADF in meeting the challenges of the decade ahead. I asked one of…

Putting the 2023 Australian Strategic Review in Context: An Assessment by John Blaxland

03/28/2023
By Robbin Laird Currently I am in Canberra, Australia to participate in the latest Williams Foundation Seminar for which I write the reports. While visiting, I have the opportunity to discuss strategic issues with a number of analysts and officials while here. This year is noticeable for the coming defence…

China’s Strategic Shift: What are the Implications for the Evolving Global Order?

03/25/2023
By Robbin Laird Dr. Harald Malmgren has described what he and his colleague see as a strategic shift in China associated with the next phase of President Xi’s leadership. The shift from an export-oriented growth economy which is deeply intertwined with the developments in the Western world to one more…

The Next Phase of the Xi Era: China’s Strategic Shift in a World in Flux

03/23/2023
By Robbin Laird The recently concluded Party Congress in Communist China has both consolidated Xi’s control of the Chinese system and turned the country further from its earlier legacy of global engagement built on its powerful export engine. According to my colleague, Dr. Harald Malmgren, Chinese policy under Xi has…

The Perspective of President Pavel: Shaping a Way Ahead for the Czech Republic

01/29/2023
"Retired army general, Petr Pavel, has been elected the next president of Czechia. Mr. Pavel won the runoff against former prime minister Andrej Babiš, by the biggest margin ever in the history of Czech presidential elections. With  all votes counted, Petr Pavel got over 58.3 percent of the vote, his…