Featured Article

03/23/2024
By Robbin Laird The U.S. faces a vastly different world than when it primarily focused on land wars post-9/11. Today it faces a multi-polar authoritarian world, with adversaries and competitors with both shared and competing interests, capabilities, and approaches to the use of military force to achieve objectives. With that in mind, how does the U.S. train a naval force to operate in such a world? And how do you draw on relevant U.S. joint…
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The Role of the Australian Army in the Way Ahead for Australian Deterrence Strategy

05/23/2023By Robbin Laird The Sir Richard Williams Foundation Seminar on 30 March 2023 focused on the way ahead with regard to deterrence of adversaries in the region, notably… Read more »

The Key Elements of Deterrence in Dealing with the Chinese Challenge: A Discussion with Ross Babbage

05/15/2023By Robbin Laird I met with Ross Babbage on 5 April 2023 in Canberra to discuss his new book and his assessment of the way ahead in building… Read more »

MAWTS-1 Works Mobile Basing and Support for the Distributed Joint Force

04/26/2023By Robbin Laird Ever since 2018, MAWTS-1 has focused on the high-end fight component of the full spectrum of warfare. Force distribution is a key part of the… Read more »

Force Distribution, Sustainment and Logistical Support: A Major Challenge Facing the ADF

04/17/2023By Robbin Laird To ensure enhanced survivability, the ADF is looking to more effectively distribute over Australian territory. But this makes logistical support for distributed forces a major… Read more »

Shaping a Nuclear Submarine Enterprise in Australia: The Perspective of Vice-Admiral Jonathan Mead

04/13/2023By Robbin Laird In March 2020, I was visiting Western Australia including HMAS Sterling. I was there to visit the HMAS Rankin, one of the Collins class submarines… Read more »

The United Kingdom and Integrated Deterrence: The Perspective of Air Marshal Harvey Smyth

04/12/2023By Robbin Laird At the recent Sir Richard Williams Foundation Seminar held on 30 March 2023, Air Marshal Harvey Smyth, the Deputy Commander Operations, presented a UK perspective… Read more »

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

04/08/2023With 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… Read more »

Agile Combat Employment

04/07/2023Description of the concept of Agile Combat Employment using a simulated scenario with illustrative phases. 12.15.2022 Video by James Self Air University Public Affairs Read more »

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

04/06/2023By 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… Read more »