Even the grumpiest of strategists have to be pleased with what the surface fleet will look like in the 2030s. But if we have to fight tonight? ⬇️
An enhanced Mogami class, a strengthened partnership with Japan – a manufacturing powerhouse and key ally in our region. This decision has lots to like – it simply leaves you
The next cycle of adaption is underway in the sky above Ukraine. Tactics, techniques and technology continue to evolve in the crucible of combat. ⬇️
After adopting Iran’s Shahed attack drones, Russia has scaled domestic production, enhanced design and is now introducing jet engines, armour plating and even commercial off the shelf AI. Shaheds are
Will we be prepared and ready to respond? Does distance still protect our North or will missiles and long range strike close the gap? ⬇️
The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) has an excellent new report titled ‘Indo Pacific Stronghold’ that examines Australia’s strategic context and how advances in military technology is closing
The race to build missiles at scale is on. Artisan manufacturing will not suffice – the Arsenal of Democracy needs scale and speed to supply. ⬇️
The War Zone has a good read on the US efforts to acquire flexible, relatively low cost missile options with companies such as L3 Harris, Lockheed Martin and challenger Anduril
We can’t keep firing million dollar missiles to down drones. The cost to defend cannot dwarf the cost to attack. Time to scale interceptors. ⬇️
The evolution of modern warfare has seen the skies proliferated with drones and missiles. Precision is no longer the preserve of the superpower – low cost drones and missiles are
Are we getting bang for buck? As our key ally pushes for greater Defence spending what is the cost effectiveness of our current contribution? ⬇️
We’d like to commend to you a white paper authored by Independent Consultant Peter F Robinson that we will add in the comments. Before setting up his own shop Peter
Change is constant in the crucible of combat. When observing innovation in War we should ask is this evolutionary, revolutionary or an anomaly? ⬇️
Gen. Jim Rainey, the Commander of Army Futures Command General Jim Rainey joined Ryan Evans on a recent ‘War on the Rocks’ podcast that canvassed ‘How to think about the
The brutal reality of supply constraints of the consumables of combat is this: if you don’t make it onshore, you can’t guarantee surety of supply. ⬇️
POLITICO is reporting that the Pentagon has made the difficult decision to prioritise keeping key consumables of combat in its war stocks and has cancelled shipments of much needed missiles
Back to the drawing board for Australia’s plans to manufacture 155 mm high explosive rounds onshore. ⬇️
In the last few weeks there has been a bit of news about munitions and in particular that key consumable of combat the 155 mm high explosive rounds fired by
Hope is not a task verb. Yet we seem to being ‘hoping’ the Australian Defence Force won’t require Integrated Air and Missile Defence soon ⬇️
The air and missile defence capabilities of the Army, Navy and Air Force are those of a boutique force built for wars of choice in the unipolar moment. Don’t take
The noise around Australia’s investment in Defence and National Security is growing. For how long can we continue with a strategy of (self) denial?
The media’s interest in the current state of Australia’s Defence seems to be growing ahead of meeting between a re-elected President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese on the sidelines of
Ukraine has used the small, the smart and the many to damage or destroy Russian high value targets that cannot easily be replaced. ⬇️
Operation Spiderweb was a combination of classic spycraft and special operations and once again demonstrated the utility of drones to render exquisite platforms vulnerable. It was a high low mix
The proliferation of fibre optic drones in Ukraine gives a great glimpse of what we need to be ready for in large scale combat operations. ⬇️
No doubt you’ve heard of first person view (FPV) drones – small, cheap and fast drones controlled remotely by a pilot flying from real time vision. These were everywhere –
If the US and allies are to compete in the Indo Pacific, the quantity and quality of the combined naval fleets will matter. ⬇️
RAND has an interesting read calling for the US to partner with the leading democratic shipbuilders in Japan and South Korea to scale the force in being. The article mentions
While the focus has been on first person view drones, long-range low-cost drones like the Shahed continue to cause widespread destruction. ⬇️
Using lessons learned in combat, Russia has evolved Iran’s Shahed into a domestically manufactured Geran-2. Russia has scaled manufacturing of the Geran-2 and is waging what Center for Strategic and
The Sovereign Resilience Tour is Underway
Beaten Zone Venture Partners is launching the Sovereign Resilience Tour, led by Steve Baxter, a seasoned Defence investor and former Army soldier. This tour is designed to engage key regional
In WWII the Arsenal of Democracy built thousands of Liberty ships. Australia’s shipyards played our part – but here the priority was to repair. ⬇️
Those of you who have read Arthur Herman’s masterclass ‘Freedom’s Forge’ may recall the legend of Henry Kaiser who managed to disrupt the entire shipbuilding industry during WWII. Herman’s latest
Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars. Are we learning the lessons of contemporary conflict? ⬇️
Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has just released a new report and infographic article on ‘Conflict in Focus: Lessons from Russia-Ukraine’. There are lessons identified across each warfighting
The US Army has been given orders to Transform to ensure it is ready to defeat any adversary on a ever changing battlefield. ⬇️
DefenseScoop is reporting on the Trump administration ordering substantial changes to the US Army to ensure the service is better placed for the worsening geopolitical circumstances across numerous theatres: “Defense
How dependent are we on our competitors to supply our consumables of combat? ⬇️
Forbes has must read article on the reliance of US drone manufacturers on Chinese supplied parts. It is an open secret that Western nations have deep dependencies on Chinese suppliers