Defence and Security – Openforum https://www.openforum.com.au Open Forum offers an independent platform for Australian debate Wed, 27 Mar 2024 21:57:31 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.25 The fate of Russia’s navy does not invalidate ours https://www.openforum.com.au/the-fate-of-russias-navy-does-not-invalidate-ours/ https://www.openforum.com.au/the-fate-of-russias-navy-does-not-invalidate-ours/#respond Mon, 25 Mar 2024 23:39:44 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=47223 Ukraine's sinking of several Russian warships is an impressive achievement, but is part of a long tradition of asymmetric naval warfare and does not render surface combatants obsolete.

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Plan B for President Z https://www.openforum.com.au/plan-b-for-president-z/ https://www.openforum.com.au/plan-b-for-president-z/#respond Thu, 14 Mar 2024 01:30:51 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=47108 It seems unthinkable, but the re-election of Donald Trump to the American presidency remains a real possibility, with calamitous implications not only for the United States and western Liberal democracy but Australia's defence plans.

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Sabotage down under https://www.openforum.com.au/sabotage-down-under/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 22:48:25 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46941 The Western world is under constant attack from Russian, Chinese, Iranian and North Korean hackers, spies and saboteurs, and Australia is not immune from foreign intrusion.

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Ukraine at the crossroads https://www.openforum.com.au/ukraine-at-the-crossroads/ Mon, 26 Feb 2024 19:43:45 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46827 Divided Americans and apathetic Europeans must double down on military, economic and political support for Ukraine or risk the spectre of a resurgent Vladimir Putin gloating in victory.

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Ships still have a place at sea https://www.openforum.com.au/ships-still-have-a-place-at-sea/ Thu, 22 Feb 2024 20:29:50 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46793 Despite the growing lethality of anti-ship missiles and hunter-killer submarines, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the head of Australia's Navy, firmly believes that surface sea power still has a major role to play in modern conflicts.

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Is bigger big enough? https://www.openforum.com.au/is-bigger-big-enough/ Wed, 21 Feb 2024 21:43:19 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46765 The Federal Government's plan to expand Australian naval power is welcome, although the review tacitly accepts that a lack of manpower is as big a problem as a lack of modern ships and missile firepower.

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Navy 2.0 https://www.openforum.com.au/navy-2-0/ Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:11:59 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46753 The Federal government has unveiled its plan to revamp the Australian Navy, but given the struggles of recent ship procurement projects, will it solve our current problems – or just create new ones?

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Final voyage https://www.openforum.com.au/final-voyage/ Sat, 10 Feb 2024 03:27:19 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46601 The 60th anniversary of the loss of HMAS Voyager after a collision with the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne prompts us to remember the 82 brave men who lost their lives in peacetime as they trained to defend their country.

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Maritime security in Southeast Asia https://www.openforum.com.au/maritime-security-in-southeast-asia/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:02:39 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46442 Southeast Asia’s maritime environment faces threats from piracy, slavery, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. A maritime security program tailored for the region may address these issues while drawing partners closer to Australia.

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Drone wars https://www.openforum.com.au/drone-wars-2/ Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:48:49 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46320 Small, cheap, quadcopter drones have emerged as a major threat on modern battlefields from Ukraine to Yemen, so how can western armies shoot them down?

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Reopening the Mitrokhin archive https://www.openforum.com.au/reopening-the-mitrokhin-archive/ Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:36:24 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46305 Tuesday 23 January marked 20 years since the passing of a Russian defector whose revelations confirmed the egregious nature of Soviet intelligence operations and global interference during the Cold War.

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Australia’s vanishing surface fleet https://www.openforum.com.au/australias-vanishing-navy/ Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:09:35 +0000 https://www.openforum.com.au/?p=46230 Australia's navy is a fraction of its former size, and the focus on nuclear powered hunter killer submarines means there is little money left to expand the number of surface combatants.

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