By Robbin Laird Dr. Dupont provided the launch presentation for the recent Williams Foundation Seminar held on September 28, 2022. That seminar focused on key questions and challenges facing the ADF as it addressed the shift to focus primarily on the direct defense of Australia. In his presentation, Dupont provided…

By Robbin Laird In his presentation at the recent Indian Ocean Defence & Security Conference, the recently appointed Chief of Army, Lt. General Simon Stuart highlighted how he saw the way ahead for the Australian Army. “War is a national endeavour, and as a so-called middle power, we fight alongside…

By Robbin Laird The launch point for the Williams Foundation Seminar held on September 28, 2022 was the presentation of Dr. Alan Dupont. Dupont provided a comprehensive examination of how fluid and dynamic that environment was for Australia and the liberal democracies. He underscored that several crises were happening at…

By Robbin Laird One of Brendan Sargeant’s legacy to me was introducing him to a young professor, Dr. Andrew Carr who works on defence issues and is well along in writing a book on the history of Australian defence. Given the enhanced focus on the direct defence of Australia being…

By Robbin Laird In my discussion with Marcus Hellyer, he highlighted the importance for Australia to prioritize the direct defense of Australia for the future evolution of the ADF. This is how he put it: “What is the Australian Defence Force (ADF) purpose-built for?” And here he posed what is…

By Robbin Laird I have recently arrived back in Australia after my last visit in March 2020. The pandemic gap years are now over and I have come to Australia as the new Labour government has launched a comprehensive defence review. Shortly after my arrival in Canberra, I had a…

By Robbin Laird On February 27, 2022, the German Chancellor announced a major re-set of German defense and security policy. On that date, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged a €100 billion increase for defense procurement spending. This commitment was certainly welcomed by Germany’s allies, but the challenge of turning enhanced…

By Debalina Ghoshal A number of developments call for Australia not only to reply on defensive means to defend itself, but also rely on offensive capabilities like cruise missiles as part of its defense arsenal. Some of these developments are: North Korea’s ongoing missile development program, coupled with its nuclear…