Following up with Dr. Alan Dupont: Shaping a Way Ahead for Australian Defence

10/20/2022
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…

France and the War Economy: The Perspective of Thales

10/19/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - The arms industry and the armed forces ministry are holding talks on how to share the financial risk of building up stocks of weapons, as France moves toward what it calls a war economy after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Who takes on the commercial…

The Australian Army in Transition: The Perspective of Lt. General Simon Stuart

10/19/2022
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…

Building out Australian Maritime Capabilities: A Priority on a Whole of Nation Approach

10/18/2022
By Robbin Laird At the Williams Foundation Seminar held on September 28, 2002, the new Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, underscored that Australia faced a significant range of challenges to the nation associated with threats emanating from the Indo-Pacific region. As he put it: Australia is a paradox.…

Reliable Supply Chains, Defence, Partners and Allies: Shaping a Way Ahead for Australia

10/17/2022
By Robbin Laird During my September 2022 trip to Australia in my role as a Research Fellow of the Williams Foundation, I wrote the report for the September 28, 2022 seminar and engaged in discussions during the month focused on the nature of the challenges facing Australia and the need…

Preparing for Major Change in Australian Defence: The September 2022 Williams Foundation Seminar

10/14/2022
On September 28, 2022, the Williams Foundation hosted its latest seminar. The focus was on the challenges which need to be addressed in making the biggest change to Australian defence seen in recent memory. Rather than focusing on the away games and support for its major ally in such efforts,…

Ramping Up U.S. Navy Combat Capabilities: The Case of the CMV-22B

10/11/2022
With a war raging in Ukraine and the threat of conflict over Taiwan, a shift from a peacetime mindset for the U.S. military and the defense ecosystem of the United States is crucial. I have just returned from Australia, where the government has launched a strategic review built around the…

The European Political Community: The First Meeting, October 2022

10/09/2022
By Pierre Tran Paris - U.K. prime minister Liz Truss was among the 44 political leaders from Europe attending Oct. 6 the first meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), a summit seeking to boost solidarity following the invasion of Ukraine ordered by the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin. Truss was…