Lack of Australian-Indonesian Submarine Arms Race
Australia and Indonesia have avoided a submarine arms race as a benefit of Australia's haphazard submarine acquisition habits.Australia's 2009 Defence White Paper set a requirement for 12 new SSKs. In...
View ArticleUK's SSN-AUKUS a Risky Route for Australia
Hereis an excellent and disturbing article of January 30, 2024, by retired submarine specialist and a past president of the Submarine Institute of Australia Peter Briggs, published at ASPI’s The...
View ArticleUkraine declining, Gaza raised, forget PNG.
International news largely becomes reality via resident press corps who write it in far off capitals. On the current public interest scale of conflicts the Russia-Ukraine War has declined. Ukraine is...
View ArticlePNG-China Security Cooperation Increasing
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a large island nation. See PNG above in relation to Australia and the Solomon Islands. (Map courtesy VOA News). It is likely China will win the new round of competition to...
View ArticleWars Benefitting the West & Dictatorships
2024 is shaping up to be a year of conflict and competition in international relations.The world seems to be returning to a Cold War with authoritarian Russia, Iran and their Middle Eastern proxies on...
View ArticlePNG Prime Minister Marape Visits Australia
As if in answer to my prayers the Australian Government is suddenly taking more notice of Papua New Guinea (PNG).ABC ArticleOn February 8, 2024 foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic and PNG...
View ArticleTrump Parrots Putin's Policies
One of the KGB's top Cold War roles was to use covert methods (including Agents of Influence) to try to split the NATO alliance and alienate Western citizens from their governments. Hence the USSR...
View ArticleWould-be "SSN Countries" US Rejected: RL32418 Part 1.
Much military information, normally Secret throughout the West, Russia and China, is Unclassified in the US, via the US Government supported/manned Congressional Research Service (CRS).See the CRS'...
View ArticleHoneytrap: Love Interest or Sexpionage?
See Peter Suciu’s article of Feb 14, 2024 Honeytrap Warning: Love Interest or Sexpionage? at https://news.clearancejobs.com/2024/02/14/honeytrap-warning-love-interest-or-sexpionage/
View ArticleNo early SSN (even in 2032?) for the RAN
As Virginias for the RAN might only arrive in the late 2030s, it is fortunate the first Collins LOTE is scheduled from "mid-2026". See the Australian Submarine Agency (ASA) reference...
View ArticleFrance's Naval Nuclear Worker Shortage: No Barracudas for RAN
A France wide lack of nuclear workers foils claims France could deliver Barracuda SSNs to Australia quickly and easily – outside of the likely delay: 2050 or later (see my previous article).Also...
View ArticleIs India Actually Using Both Its Carriers?
I'm wondering whether India has used its two newish carriers (INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant) for operations?Have they been part of Indian carrier group exercises?Has their strategic purpose been...
View ArticleSECRET Clauses of AUKUS SSN Agreement
In response to some of French Anonymous' February 2, 2024 comments: If France sold Barracuda SSNs to Australia and, because they use LEU, France agreed to accept Australian Barracudas (including spent...
View ArticleIndian Carrier Operations in the IOR
Inspired by Ghalib Kabir’s February 24, 2024 comments: and Ghalib spotted this excellent CNN article...
View Article“White Western” Nuclear Sub Welder Shortages
In response to French Anonymous' 2. comment and Anonymous’ comment on February 25, 2024. on what I call the “white Western” world nuclear submarine welder shortage, I have written the following:In...
View ArticleIndian Base Building on Strategic Lakshadweep Islands
Gessler provided the following excellent comments and links on February 26, 2024.[INS Dweeprakshak (a “concrete ship”) was commissioned on Kavarattiisland, in the center of India’s Lakshadweep Islands...
View ArticleWalrus Replacement Decision March 15? Naval Group?
Regarding the Walrus Replacement competition.Jaime Karremann, at Dutch website Marine Schepen (Naval Ships) on March 7, 2024, at...
View ArticleFrench SSBNs Making Up for UK RN Shortfalls.
With the second Cold War, following Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has issued increasing nuclear threats. Consequently French SSBNs increased their patrol numbers. See...
View ArticleJapan Didn't Transfer Best Sub Tech: PRC Agents in Taiwan
Note Wikipedia's belief that Taiwan's Hai Kun submarines are being "assembled using Japanese construction techniques in Taiwan. A Japanese team consisting of retired engineers from Mitsubishi and...
View ArticleAustralia's ERIS Dual-Use Rocket: ICBM in Waiting
Adam Gilmour, CEO, Co-Founder of Gilmour with ERIS Block 1, Australia's dual-use capable rocket (Photo courtesy Gilmour Space via Echo, March 1, 2024)---Since I first looked at Virginias for Australia...
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