The Future is Now for the ADF: Shaping Space for Maritime Autonomous Systems

04/15/2024
During my current visit to Australia, both at the 11 April Williams Foundation Seminar and in my interviews and discussions, there is a clear concern for ramping up ADF capabilities now. In addition to any longer term additive capabilities, it is crucial in the evolving strategic context to find ways…

A Look Back at Portugal Prior to the 1974 Revolution

04/12/2024
By Kenneth Maxwell My observations on Portugal in 1964 typed up on my portable Olivetti typewriter. This evaluation was written ten years before the “Revolution of Carnations” of 1974, when Portuguese junior army officers, tired of endless wars in Africa, overthrew Europe’s oldest dictatorship. This in turn ended Portuguese rule…

Working the Sustainability Piece in Australian Defence: The Case of Munitions

04/10/2024
By Robbin Laird When shaping a relevant 21st century defence approach, sustainability is a key aspect of any credible effort. Gone are the days where just in time delivery from distant global supply chains is an effective means for deployed defense assets. Credible defense capability is built on a foundation…

Poland Two Years into the War: An April 2024 Update

04/07/2024
By Robbin Laird Recently, I talked with my colleague Robert Czulda by video link to get an update on the situation in Poland two years into the war in Ukraine. We started by discussing the war seem from Warsaw. Czulda: “When the Russian invasion first started, there was shock in…

The Global Partnership Supporting Arms For Ukraine: Secretary of State Blinken Visits France

04/02/2024
By Pierre Tran Versailles, France - The U.S. defense industry had much to gain if Congress approved swiftly a stalled $61 billion package of military and financial aid for Ukraine, in its fight against “Russian aggression,” the American secretary of state said April 2. Antony Blinken was speaking at the…

DeGaulle, France and the War Economy: A March 2024 Update

03/29/2024
By Pierre Tran Paris - The two French frigates on patrol in the Red Sea have fired 22 Aster missiles against drones and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi militia against western shipping, the armed forces minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told March 26 a high profile news conference. The minister disclosed…

The Commander of CSG-4 Discusses Operations, Innovation and Training

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…

Return to Brazil: Professor Kenneth Maxwell Looks Back at Brazil and Its Evolution

03/21/2024
By Robbin Laird Professor Maxwell is returning to Brazil for a notable conference to be held there soon. This is his latest trip to Brazil with his first one coming nearly 60 years ago. Recently, we published a book of essays by him entitled, Brazil in a Changing World Order…