By Robbin Laird Research Fellow, Sir Richard Williams Foundation, Canberra, Australia In an age of instant reactions, social media pile-ons, and policy-by-press-release, the University of Canberra has launched an audacious experiment: a center dedicated to the radical proposition that historical perspective and civil disagreement might actually improve public policy. The…
By Robbin Laird We stand at a peculiar moment in history where multiple powerful forces are reshaping the global order, yet these variables of change do not converge toward any clear, coherent outcome. This paradox defines our era: dramatic transformation without discernible destination. In a recent conversation I had with…
By Pierre Tran Paris – France achieved near record breaking arms export orders in 2024. France won in 2024 export arms orders worth €21.6 billion ($25.1 billion), up from €8.2 billion in 2023, the annual report of the armed forces ministry to parliament said, marking the second-highest value of foreign…
The maritime industry stands at the threshold of a technological revolution that promises to fundamentally change how ships navigate the world’s waterways. Remote piloting technology, which allows marine pilots to guide vessels from shore-based control centers rather than boarding ships in dangerous conditions, represents a pivotal shift toward safer, more…
By Robbin Laird Sixteen years ago, we launched Second Line of Defense with General Patton’s warning that “if everyone is thinking alike then no one is thinking” wasn’t philosophical wisdom for it is operational necessity. When defense establishments fall into intellectual lockstep, people die. When military leaders embrace comfortable assumptions…
By Robbin Laird The war in Ukraine is the most documented conflict in human history, and at the center of this digital chronicle sits Telegram, a messaging application that has transformed from a simple communication tool into a multifaceted instrument of warfare. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022,…
By Robbin Laird The cultural image of the fighter pilot is etched in our minds: a maverick aviator, wrestling a difficult machine through the sky, defined by raw “stick-and-rudder” skill. We picture an ace relying on instinct and reflexes to outmaneuver an opponent in a classic dogfight. For decades, this…
In the early morning hours of February 8, 2025, a 9-meter tall clock in downtown Vilnius reached zero, marking one of the most significant geopolitical transformations in European energy history. As the final seconds ticked away, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania severed their last physical connection to the Soviet-era power infrastructure…
