Before we get to the Singapore air show, some more words about US isolationism and a country that seems to be fracturing. Something that Australian politicians seem to be sadly unaware of. There was pushback against the latest report from the US Congressional Research Service - a very authoritative group - that once again raised the possibility of Australia not receiving any Virginia class submarines. This was in the form of a heated response from Defence Minister Marles, that everything is perfect - but where is the evidence for that? The project will receive an injection of an additional $600 million this year, meaning that the path to reaching 2.3% of GDP will be even slower than previously believed. From the air show, some good news about the growth path for Apache helicopters and also a reminder that NH90 helicopters - the parent design of the scrapped Taipan fleet- remain in great demand. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For some variety we start with a few words about China's President Xi Jinping undertaking a further purge of the military leaving him in sole command. In the short term this might make an invasion of Taiwan less likely - but in the medium term the situation could be more dangerous. In the US, chaos continues on both the foreign policy and domestic fronts. A question for Australian politicians and national security figures: if US officials, including the President, lie so blatantly to their own people, why should we believe anything that they say? When it comes to decoupling from the US, we might learn a lot more about how Canada is doing so when their Prime Minister Mark Carney visits in March. Canada is seeking to take advantage of the current self-inflicted US brain drain. Australia seems to be moving in the opposite direction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More US-caused turmoil with President Trump cancelling his takeover of Greenland because he has reached a concept of a framework deal with NATO but of course hasn't released any details. But he's replaced that with more threats at Canada, including using violent language, if they go ahead with a trade deal involving China. All the world can see what's happening - with the exception of the Australian government. Then Trump insulted all 1,200 non-US soldiers who died in Afghanistan as part of the ISAF mission claiming it was only Americans who did the fighting. This resulted in enraged pushback from people like UK PM Kier Starmer, who called Trump directly. How did our leaders react - by avoiding any direct criticism of Trump. A notable exception was senior Opposition figure Andrew Hastie who has labelled Trump's words for what they are. And a few thoughts on how Trump is gearing up for a third term. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before discussing the Prime Minister's strange reluctance to call a Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorist attack we have to talk about the increasingly erratic behaviour of Donald Trump. Threats from the US to take over Greenland are increasing, with greater tariffs on European countries now also part of the mix. This is because Trump claimed the Europeans weren't doing enough to defend the island so countries have sent small military delegations there to do some research - but the US President now claims this is an escalation. Here, Defence Minister Richard Marles has responded in his usual spineless fashion refusing to comment on US behaviour saying instead he thinks NATO will remain united when all sensible analysis comes to the opposite conclusion. It's time for Australia to have an open, mature debate about the nature of the US alliance and what we expect to get out of it. The country expects leadership - and it isn't getting it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's a good thing we waited a couple of weeks before commenting on the US attack on Venezuela because the entire thing is getting stranger by the day. It clearly wasn't about regime change and even the logic of seizing oil reserves is looking shaky. It might have been because Donald Trump felt his dancing style was being mocked by the former Venezuelan President. As disturbing as that is, of even more concern is the US threatening again to acquire Greenland - by force, if necessary. This is completely insane and would destroy NATO, but Trump seems to be obsessed with it. If the US continues to destroy the existing rules based order, will Australian politicians finally grow a spine or will they find ever more creative ways to grovel? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with a few thoughts on the awful terrorist attack on members of the Jewish community holding a party on Bondi Beach. But we cannot ignore other developments and have some further thoughts about the new US National Security Strategy, which explicitly attacks Europe and gives both Russia and China a leave pass. The official policy of the US is that they will now support European far-right political parties in what is obviously interference in the internal affairs of other nations. People should be outraged - as they would be if China said they planned to do the same thing in Asia. Our politicians won't say anything because they are moral cowards. Finally - instead of buying second hand Virginia class subs from the US, let's buy 40 year old Los Angeles boats instead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The adventure continues with a late arrival in Kashgar - also known as Kashi - and a crowded program of educational and cultural events. The city has a very long history and is a colourful mix of cultures and religions.Then it was a flight to Ili, the capital of the Kazakh autonomous prefecture which was different again from Urumqi and Kashgar. Treats included milk beer and a visit to the former governor's palace - a frequent residence for exiles from eastern parts of China.Then a return to Urumqi for the final part of the tour and one of the most consequential events - a visit to the Exhibition of Counterterrorism and Deradicalisation in Xinjiang. This explained why - in often gruesome detail - why security crackdowns have been necessary.The quick summary of the 8 day program - Xinjiang is friendly, interesting, and well worth a visit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a busy time internationally with the US releasing a shocking National Security Strategy document that throws Europe under a bus and favours improved relations with Russia. Australian politicians need to take note. But also some thoughts on the restructure of Defence so that acquisitions will be done by a separate agency. That's all well and good but the main improvements need to be cultural and attitudinal on the part of Defence managers. Keeping the same people and giving them new titles won't make the slightest difference. The rumours were correct and more aid will go to Ukraine - but given that the US is in the pocket of Russia a lot more will be needed. A final thought - the US is currently siding with China over their ugly war of words with Japan. Why should Australia be any different? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

APDR was invited for a media tour to China’s Xinjiang autonomous region in September and we decided that listeners will be interested in more details than have so far been reported. This podcast is part travel log, part analysis and part personal commentary about the experience. We set the scene with some thoughts about China and the first part of the visit to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang. Part 2 next week will begin with arriving in Kashgar. Comments on our website asiapacificdefencereporter.com are welcome, as are emails to: kym.bergmann@venturamedia.netAbusive content will not be allowed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with breaking news of a Defence restructure - though it's too early to tell if it will make a difference. Then - despite the best efforts of many - the government is refusing to close a loophole allowing Russian oil to be sold in Australia, though it is possible that a new aid package is being developed. It can't come fast enough with the US continuing to side with Russia in a plan that would end Ukraine's independence - and we go into the main motivation: greed and the chance for the Trump family and their friends to make untold billions from the situation. Finally some words about why the US is moving towards military action against Venezuela - and that's more greed at work. Australia's politicians have to realise that the US will no longer help Australia unless there's something in it for them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again, there have been shocking developments regarding US support for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion. President Trump has given Ukraine an ultimatum that amounts to a surrender or lose his support. In the so-called peace proposal, Russia does not have to make any concessions. It is now obvious that President $Trump is for sale to the highest bidder - and it's time Australian policy makers realised that. The first thing we should do is to provide more aid to Ukraine because despite talking about the rules based order in the last 12 months nothing has been donated to Kiev. Some current Australian policies actually benefit Russia. Finally some words on why Mogami frigates will never be built in Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with some more information about the major Indo-Pacific maritime conference in Sydney and the description of it by Defence Minister Richard Marles as a type of Disneyland. Unfortunately, this is emblematic of the trivialisation of Defence topics in this country and partly explains why there has never been a serious discussion about acquiring nuclear powered submarines, or many of the embarrassing details of SEA 3000. Looking internationally, the US is behaving erratically with President Donald Trump now being openly bribed. Is this how a reliable security partner behaves? On top of that, there might be a few more problems coming up for the pace of US submarine construction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Indo-Pacific Maritime Expo had quite a few submarine related news items and we look at a few of them, including about future Combat Management Systems. Unfortunately, most journalists continue to act as government stenographers and are either unable or unwilling to ask any awkward questions about AUKUS. It's not clear why when there are many issues that still need to be understood. To make sure that never happens, the government and coalition have disgracefully joined forces to block a Senate inquiry into the matter. The terms of reference are entirely reasonable and would have provided the Australian people with much needed information - but we can't have that. Some words about South Korea - and they will probably have their own nuclear-powered submarines before the first SSN-AUKUS is even launched. Finally a question - does the ADF believe in extra-judicial killings? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been a big week in South Korea with the Presidents of the US and China meeting on the fringes of APEC. Another related development was the US agreeing to help South Korea develop nuclear powered submarines. The Australian reaction has been predictably snarky and ill-tempered as people to start to realise we aren't as special as we have been telling everyone we are. While it's early days, it looks like South Korea will be building new submarines for themselves, not buying second hand clunkers from the US that we have fallen for. Finally, the Trump-Xi meeting looks like it has been a major win for China. No surprise there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before discussing Korean defence industry and the huge ADEX show in Seoul, some words about the state of the US, which seems to be in a political mess. The problem with all the positive coverage of the Donald Trump - Anthony Albanese meeting a week ago is it risks blinding people to the obvious reality that the US might not be in a position to defend anyone. We could be reaching that point much sooner than anyone anticipated - and Australians have to start thinking seriously about that prospect. Thankfully for defence equipment, there are some alternatives, including from South Korean defence industry. The capabilities of the Republic of Korea are extraordinary, and the rate of growth seems to be increasing - and we have a quick look at the KF-21 supersonic jet fighter. A stealth version of it will appear soon - and it will be similar in performance to Australia's F-35s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's happened - the long awaited meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and President Donald Trump has occurred - and the Australian reporting of it has varied from average to woeful. It could have been much worse - but it has not altered the fundamentals of AUKUS Pillar One. If the US was serious about selling second hand Virginia class submarines to us, President $TRUMP could authorise the deal now with the transfer occurring in the 2030s - but the US won't do that. The critical minerals agreement is just as unnecessary as expected. Back in Australia, there's some very good news about domestic guided weapons manufacture with a three way deal between ourselves, Lockheed Martin and the US. We also ponder why it is that Ministers tell obvious untruths and falsehoods. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The big international story is the ceasefire in Gaza - and thank goodness for that. Can US President Donald Trump claim it as a personal success? Absolutely! From what we can piece together, he was somehow able to persuade Hamas to trust Israel and at the same time finally got tough with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Let's hope the peace lasts, but with Israel's current policy settings that looks unlikely. We also preview our PM's meeting with Trump scheduled for October 20 - and let's hope there isn't any grovelling or attempts to appease the US by giving away lots of stuff. And finally a few depressing words about who really sets Australian security policy - and it's not governments or Ministers, it's a very powerful group of bureaucrats who have talked themselves into the belief that Australia cannot defend itself unaided. This has become a litmus test for admission into the group and has poisoned the minds of a number of Ministers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Better late than never, we start by looking at the Australia-PNG defence treaty, which has now been signed by the Prime Ministers of both countries. While generally a good thing, there are questions about how suitable it is for PNG's needs and whether it could act as a vehicle for a conflict with Indonesia. Then some words about US and Australian military cultures - and what will happen if they become completely incompatible. In the extraordinary meeting on September 30 with the entire US military hierarchy, President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth made it clear that they only want white, male, Christian nationalists in the ranks. And some thoughts on why people in the US have suddenly started being so publicly supportive of AUKUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week there's a lot to talk about internationally because PM Anthony Albanese has been in the US and the UK. For the latter visit, the attitude of the Australian media has been displaying cultural cringe at its worst. Please understand that Australia does not need to "shore up" AUKUS because it's the UK begging us for our dollars. The PM now has a meeting with US President Donald Trump on October 20 and who knows how that will go because if Mr Trump's rambling, incoherent speech to the United Nations was anything to go by, he appears to have lost his mind. Finally a few more brief words about Xinjiang - and anyone who wants to understand China today has to look at the last 200 years of history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast was recorded in Beijing at the end of a 12 day visit to China, the bulk of which was spent in the Xinjiang Autonomous region looking at topics such as the Belt & Road Initiative and the status of the Uighur ethnic community. But it has still been possible to keep an eye on events in Australia such as the supposed $12 billion investment in the Henderson maritime precinct and the failure to secure treaties with Vanuatu and now PNG. Plenty of egg on face for those - though the setbacks might be temporary. Also, the US seems to be descending into fascism, not that any Australian politicians care. Finally, some words about the treatment of the Uighurs. Has there been repression? Yes. But no one talks about the reasons why - dozens of extremely violent terrorist attacks by Islamic extremists during a 20 year period. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A correction to start with - Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missiles have a range of 3,000km, not the 1,000km mentioned in the previous podcast, giving rise to the question: if Ukraine can develop their own long-range cruise missiles, why can't Australia? Next we have the comical renaming of the US Defense Department to the War Department, as if this will do anything other than expose the Trump administration to more ridicule. Make no mistake, continuing pro-Russia actions make it abundantly clear that President Trump is not a supporter of democracies - and that could extend to Australia as the US retreats slowly into a posture of homeland defence. We look at nuclear submarine numbers in the US and UK with new analysis provided by retired submariner RADM Peter Briggs and it's not a pretty picture. If only we had stuck with France. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with some thoughts about the still unexplained visit to Washington DC in the final week of August by Defence Minister Richard Marles. The exact circumstances of his meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remain unclear. Perhaps the visit was a substitute for the annual AUSMIN talks, which might not go ahead because of a lack of interest on the US side. The Australian government does not seem to realise that most of the world is rapidly realigning to minimise dependence on the erratic Trump administration. In our region Japan and the Republic of Korea are re-evaluating their relationship with Washington - and India has had enough and is trying to rapidly improve relations with China and possibly Russia. This means that the Quad - the security agreement between the US, Australia, Japan and India - is dead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unfortunately the prediction in the previous podcast that the Trump administration will continue down the path of being an unreliable security partner is proving to be correct. US politics is swerving in a dangerous direction of dismantling many aspects of how a government functions - a process that has historical roots. Practical manifestations are things like on the one hand approving the sale of weapons to Ukraine, but on the other hand severely limiting how they can be used. The results of the Elbridge Colby revenue into AUKUS are expected by late November - and we predict that the sale of second-hand nuclear submarines will only go ahead if Australia can meet certain conditions, such as lifting Defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. Finally some speculation about why the Mogami frigate wasn't selected for SEA 3000 two years ago since it's now apparent it was always the preferred choice of the RAN. Could it be that two years ago only the basic Mogami was under construction but by delaying the decision until now the upgraded version is under contract meaning the Navy will get a much bigger ship with twice the number of VLS cells than the ship of 2023? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

- The dominant international security event was the disgraceful Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, with the US President fawning and grovelling in front of his war criminal Russian counterpart. The result was nothing positive for Ukraine - no ceasefire and no new sanctions, only talk of territory being given to Russia. It is impossible to comprehend why President Trump cannot understand that it is Russia that launched an unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine. This event has profound implications for Australia, demonstrating once again that the US is no longer a reliable ally. Then a bit more about SEA 3000 and details of how Defence cooked the books, outrageously inflating the price of the TKMS bid designed to deny them a competitive advantage over MHI. Finally, some positives about RoK-Australia defence cooperation. The Koreans are very keen - so Australia now needs to seize the opportunity and make things happen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Congratulations to Japan and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for their success in being selected as the supplier of General Purpose Frigates under SEA 3000. The attractive features of the Japanese ship are well known - stealth characteristics, high levels of automation, a fixed-face radar array and 32 VLS cells. However, this was followed by a deceitful background briefing by senior Australian figures that was full of provable untruths. This included information suggesting that the losing bid from German supplier TKMS was inflated by Defence using the false pretext that it came with a different set of weapons. No it did not. Without any evidence, Defence had also concluded that TKMS could not meet the schedule when there is ample evidence that they could do so without difficulty. One wonders why a competition even took place when the outcome looks predetermined. Then there's more misleading information from Defence Minister Richard Marles who continues to insist incorrectly that Australia has already reviewed the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine decision. And once again it looks like US President Donald Trump is getting ready to sell out Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We promised some analysis of the UK-Australia AUKUS submarine agreement and to describe it as a framework would be generous. It has a lot of standard legal boilerplate about tariffs and tax refunds, but the substance has many gaps. It can be cancelled with 12 months notice and seems to leave all of the power in the hands of the UK government. Next - the US seems to be becoming a less reliable ally on a daily basis. President Donald Trump is now using tariffs as a political cudgel, not just an economic one of very doubtful effectiveness. Defence talks with Australia scheduled for the next few days have been scrapped and it's unclear if the annual AUSMIN talks will go ahead as scheduled. Our government remains supremely confident that no one should worry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There has been quite a bit of news about AUKUS Pillar One based on the visit to Australia of a Royal Navy aircraft carrier and a couple of Ministers. Apparently there's going to be a 50-year treaty about the AUKUS submarine between our two countries, with the document soon to be tabled in Parliament. This is probably because we can't get a treaty with the US, so let's have one with the UK instead - but it's strategic nonsense and all of the talk of industrial cooperation are just empty words. We buy a lot from the UK and in return they buy nothing from us. Turning to the US, in testimony to the Senate, incoming Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Daryl Caudle has expressed doubts about the ability of industry to produce enough Virginia class submarines for their own needs, let alone Australia's. This information will of course be ignored by our government because it doesn't suit their warped view of reality. And SEA 3000 is reaching a crucial point with the possibility of a winner being selected in the next few days. Assuming that the competition is genuine, it's not helpful that plenty of Australian commentators are telling Japan that they have it in the bag. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Details have come in about the latest US military aid package for Ukraine and it looks to be a disappointment. President Donald Trump has given Russia 50 days to start peace negotiations but that coincides with the start of the Autumn rains when ground campaigning grinds - or bogs - to a halt. Also for the weapons part of the equation - nothing is being given to Ukraine, all of the systems are being sold at normal commercial rates to NATO allies, who will in turn transfer them. In the last few days both PM Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles have said that for Australia what counts is not what we are spending on Defence but rather the capability being acquired. This is exactly the point - the ADF is going backwards. Sacking a few senior military and civilian figures, which is in the pipeline, won't help. Let's do something useful such as acquiring South Korea's equivalent of Patriot - the KM-SAM - and building it in Australia. That would make an important practical difference, but for it to happen needs a major change of mindset within Defence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode coincides with the release of the July-August edition of APDR so there will be some cross referencing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has started his 6-day visit to China which has sparked the usual conservative talking points about why he has met President Xi four times but has not yet secured an audience with US President and human wrecking ball Donald Trump. PM Albanese is wise avoiding him - any meeting runs the risk of going off the rails and becoming a forum of personal abuse. Then some details of the MEKO 200, the ship being offered for SEA 3000 by Germany's TKMS. It looks like a good low risk strategy based around the Saab 9LV combat management system. Additionally, some - but not all - of the claimed advantages of Japan's upgraded Mogami frigate don't stand up to scrutiny. Also, what on earth is going on with the Henderson maritime precinct in WA and some strange recent comments from Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. Finally with Patriot missiles in high global demand, let's work with the South Koreans to build the medium range surface-to-air missiles they have developed in Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the centenary podcast we have chosen a theme - Ukraine. The ongoing fightback against the Russian invasion is relevant to Australia in several ways, including the reliability of the US as an ally and also for the future direction of military technology. The US has again suspended some military aid, and how Vladimir Putin must be rejoicing. The bureaucrat responsible is also the one currently reviewing AUKUS and he may well figure out a way to extract even more cash from gullible Australian politicians and Defence figures. As we have previously tried explaining, the entire procurement structure could be improved overnight and at zero cost by making the system far more transparent and we have drafted a memo for Richard Marles so he doesn't have to do it himself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities continue to dominate defence coverage - and in terms of Washington politics everyone has to agree with Donald Trump that they were obliterated. In a future joint operation, Australia would be expected to sing from the same song sheet. Let's not forget that he is continuing to support Russia - and that could have major implications for Australia. But the main theme is the TKMS bid for SEA 3000, the details of which have not come from the company because they would be in breach of Defence NDAs and people would be jailed as a consequence. However, there's enough information around to believe they will offer a low risk solution based on the Saab 9LV CMS and a number of sensors well known to the RAN. At the same time it is possible that Japan has been misled, or at least misdirected - by the insistence of Defence and the government that speed to capability is ahead of everything else. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Even on the very rustic Greek island of Zakynthos, it was impossible to remain isolated from world events such as the airstrikes by Israel and the US on Iran.While much of the commentary has split along the usual lines of conservatives around the world standing with the US, it is far from clear how close Iran was to producing a nuclear weapon - Israel has been calling wolf on this for the last 20 years.What was the motivation of President Donald Trump? Apparently he was encouraged by the positive Fox News coverage of Israel's earlier strikes.As for Australia, there's a very important issue in all of this that no one wants to talk about, namely why are we still blindly following an increasingly erratic Washington administration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We bring you a special edition podcast from the Greek island of Zakinthos to discuss the current US administration’s review of AUKUS. It’s rather ominously worded to see if it fits President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda. Why do we always need to find out about these things from the Americans? Why can’t our own Defence Minister Richard Marles ever come clean about things such as how much we are giving to the US, and why they want us to lift Defence expenditure to 3.5% of GDP? As for the review itself, why would the US want to end the deal when there are still billions more dollars to be extracted from Australian taxpayers and gullible politicians? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the previous podcast, many people might have been hoping for a description of the TKMS bid for SEA 3000. Sorry to disappoint, but the rules imposed by Defence block that, and we have figured out who is to blame. It's the probity lawyers - what a surprise. The media visit to Germany focused entirely on the parent yard build of the first three ships, and there is no doubt that TKMS and partner companies will be able to do that without working up a sweat. Then, some personal thoughts on strategic partnerships. Many people believe the relationship with Japan is so important that the Mogami should be automatically selected. But does it make sense to base partnerships on the purchase of equipment? Wouldn't it be better for that to be the domain of treaties and security guarantees? And shouldn't buying stuff work both ways if it's so important? Also, Ukraine is using drones to revolutionise warfare. We told you so. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings from the northern German city of Hamburg and the beginning of a Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems media tour. They are one of two finalists for SEA 3000, the general purpose frigate project, but they are forbidden by Defence from discussing their proposal. This ridiculous level of secrecy seems to be in place purely to conceal Departmental incompetence and to cover up the growing possibility that no frigates will be built in Australia, ever.Some words about US demands that Australia increase Defence spending to as much as 5% of GDP and what looks like a major difference of opinion between the PM and Defence Minister as to whether or not we give in to that pressure.Then some details of an article in June APDR that AUKUS Pillar One has very little chance of success written by Dr Hans Ohff, Managing Director of the Australian Submarine Corporation during the critical years of the Collins program. Unlike politicians and bureaucrats he actually knows how difficult it is to successfully deliver submarines - and Australia is falling well short. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With Canberra starting to return to normal we have a bit more to discuss on the domestic front. Firstly a thank you to Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, who agreed to an interview that will be published in full in June APDR. It was a wide ranging chat and we will continue to have different views on matters such as the Defence budget and also secrecy - but it's good to be in dialogue. Also during the week, a senior TKMS delegation was in town to discuss SEA 3000 and they are promoting the MEKO 200 as a low risk solution for Australia. On the international scene, tariff stupidity continues with Donald Trump threatening Europe with 50% on June 1 and the US company Apple with 25% if they continue making iPhones offshore. If Australian politicians want to get into the game of appeasing Trump, maybe we should offer to build a mega yacht for him. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with a clarification from the previous episode that Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy has retained responsibility for capability delivery, even though those words have been removed from his title.  And then a lot more about the unreliability of the US as an ally - a reality so obvious that everyone can see it, except for Australian politicians. The update of the list now includes the US coming to some sort of deal with the Houthis - ignoring everyone else - as well as having direct talks with Hamas and Iran. Israel wasn't even included on Trump's itinerary for his Middle East trip, possibly because they don't have any gold and marble palaces stuffed full of grovelling courtiers.Then let's at least have a laugh about Qatar's bribe of a luxury 747. No one in their right mind would accept it on cost grounds alone. Let's see what happens when the US demands Australia increase Defence spending to 3% of GDP. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have a new Federal government ministry - and it's very much like the old one. Richard Marles retains Defence and Pat Conroy Defence Industry, though with the 'capability delivery" element seemingly removed. This was preceded by Richard Marles using his factional muscle to get rid of two highly competent Ministers in the form of Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic. Let's backtrack a bit and review the only national security topic in the entire election campaign - whether Russia had requested a permanent military base on Indonesian soil. This cannot be ruled out because of the often opaque nature of Indonesian politics.  Then President Trump's failed trade war against China - though people shouldn't be celebrating just yet. Another feature of the new US administration is that it's making it clear it's available to the highest bidder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The election result is a surprisingly strong win for Labor, but it's important to understand the basis for that. Yes, the Coalition ran a poor campaign and the ALP a good one - but the real reason for a reversal in poll numbers during the last 4 months is because of the Trump Effect, similar to what has occurred in Canada.  It's important not to lose sight of the big picture - Trump's tariff war risks destroying the global economy and Australia will not be insulated from the consequences. Let's go down memory lane with what happened in this region last time the US did this in 1930 with the Smoot Hawley tariffs. Most people know what happened in Europe with the rise of the Nazis in Germany. Less well known is the effect on Japan, which was also devastated by the tariffs and used their colony of Korea to seize all of Manchuria in 1931, the precursor to the full blown invasion of China 6 years later. The new Australian government should be doing its best to deter the actions of the Trump administration not aid and abet them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Federal election 2025 special podcast starts with the shocking news that the government is offering nothing new on the Defence and national security front - and the opposition isn't much better. For Australians interested in topics other than the most dull, mundane, routine "news" they will have to go elsewhere than the election campaign and the woeful performance of much of the media. The US is radically transforming in front of our eyes, realigning with Russia and other authoritarian regimes. President Donald Trump's trade war is in the process of wrecking the US economy - and unless he changes direction, within a few weeks 500,000 jobs will be lost in California alone. This is a rapidly sinking ship - but you won't hear a word of that from the major Australian political parties. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Economic turmoil continues in the US with almost daily shifts in the tariff war being conducted against everyone except Russia. The self-destructive economic behaviour of the Trump administration is likely to drive countries in our region much closer to China - something that will have major implications for Australian security. Not that you will hear a word about that from any of our head in the sand politicians. Then some words about the movie The Downfall and the ability of some politicians to live in a fantasy world, ignoring all of the evidence in front of them. The Australian people are being told two big lies: that the US relationship is as rock solid as ever and that massive increases to our Defence budget are underway. Neither is true. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We record this episode with a sense of impending doom now that we know what Trump administration Liberation Day looks like – and it’s bad. The US is voluntarily withdrawing from world leadership, and it would not be a surprise if NATO, the IMF and the WTO are next. Not that you will hear a peep from our politicians or most of the media, who simply cannot imagine anything other than a comfortable world led by Washington. If anything, our national security apparatus is even worse, saying we should not offer moral support to Canada or Denmark – or anyone else – because “it’s got nothing to do with us”. What an utterly disgraceful attitude – and it explains the poor quality of so much recent decision making. Then some powerful words from Canadian Prime Minister Steven Carney warning that the world has changed forever. If only our politicians could show a similar level of leadership. It’s time to start diversifying sources of military supply right now – more local production and strengthen relationships not only with Europe but also South Korea, Japan and Singapore. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with some words about the Avalon air show last week. The mood among Australian companies was a bit subdued because Defence expenditure is drying up – but top marks to the RAAF for engaging with the media and doing their best to be open and frank. On that note, an apology to AVM Nick Hogan for how some sections of the press (not us) misinterpreted his comments about F-35s. There is a lot of official support for Boeing Australia’s MQ-28A Ghost Bat uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft and hopefully it will be in series production next year. Then there was a very important AUKUS seminar on March 31 organised by Malcolm Turnbull – and the overwhelming consensus of participants is that Australia will not receive nuclear powered submarines from the US or the UK. To make the situation worse, there is no plan B. We say: invest in underwater drones – an area where Australia has a lot of capability. Finally on US threats to take over Greenland by force. The last time we checked, Denmark – which is responsible for Greenland - is part of NATO and therefore the island is already well protected by the alliance, of which the US is an important part (for the moment). The only person currently threatening Greenland is President Donald Trump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The unreliability of the US as an ally continues to be demonstrated with President Donald Trump publicly reinforcing his wish to turn Canada into the 51st State - but you won't hear that from any Australian politicians because they are too weak to speak out in defence of a Five Eyes ally. We quote at length from Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, who says the US is no longer a reliable ally but instead is behaving like a "rent seeker." He warns that a political earthquake has happened and that a tsunami is coming, and we must be prepared. This message has been heard in Europe and throughout the Indo-Pacific, just not by Australia. Some words about Canada purchasing Australia's JORN system - possibly as part of a move to decouple from the US. Regarding AUKUS Pillar one, we have some new jargon from Defence Minister Richard Marles: it's apparently a "treaty level agreement" - except there's no such thing. Either you have a treaty, or you do not. Clearly, there is no AUKUS treaty - just empty words and promises from an ally who demonstrably can no longer be trusted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The shock waves from the US betrayal of Ukraine and their threats against Canada and Denmark are being felt all around the world, except in Australia where politicians and the media have their heads firmly in the sand. A notable exception was former PM Malcolm Turnbull who has tried to alert people to the danger, but instead has only been asked about the complete irrelevance of his negative comments about Donald Trump and how they might have impacted exemptions from tariffs. Our current PM and Defence Minister can only keep repeating nonsense that the US alliance is safe because there was bipartisan support in Congress for AUKUS legislation. Well, APDR has read the legislation and all that it does is set up the bank account for Australian cash to be deposited - for the US Secretary of Defence to spend on whatever he damn well pleases. When it comes to making ourselves less dependent on the US, we should immediately take up an offer from South Korea to jointly develop a next generation Army C2 system. Why aren't Defence officials on their way to Seoul right now? Finally, it looks like the Collins Life of Type Extension (LOTE) program is another disaster - and the consequence is that in the 2030s Australia will have no submarines at all. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Due to the complete betrayal of Ukraine by the US, the security situation for the western world – including Australia – is worsening.  However, you wouldn’t know that here with complete political and media indifference with people preferring to focus on the weather situation in Queensland.  This is appalling parochialism and is ignoring the reality that the cherished “special relationship” with Washington is over. It’s finished. The US is no longer a reliable ally because the President is acting as if he is a Russian asset.  What we are witnessing is a modern-day version of the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939, which divided Eastern Europe up between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union – except this time it’s Russia and the US deciding the future of Ukraine and other countries.  It’s disgusting – and now Canada is also receiving treatment from the US that their Prime Minister believes is part of an attempt to turn it into the 51st US state.  This isn’t a joke, and Australians need to wake up.  Our government needs to overcome its terror of upsetting the US and show some backbone on behalf of our friends and allies. We have leverage and should not be afraid to use it. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If any further proof of the unreliability of the US was needed, it was amply demonstrated last Friday when US President Donald Trump tried to publicly humiliate his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymir Zelenskyy at a White House meeting. It was an appalling performance by the US President – and Australia has to get the message that potentially we are on our own. But have we heard that from the government? Of course not. They are still too frightened of offending Trump that all they can talk about is continuing the support for Ukraine. Since that has come up, let’s look at the facts, which show that despite having the world’s 10th or 11th largest economy we are a pathetic 33 on the list of international donors. So how about the Prime Minister stop beating his chest and actually increase the level of support to something more meaningful. If people are agitated about Chinese warships conducting live fire drills in this area just imagine when the Russian Pacific Fleet starts doing the same thing, with the USN nowhere in sight. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a week! Two major events have overturned Australia’s security outlook dramatically for the worse. The first is the US throwing Ukraine under the bus and siding with Russia. What has been done to Ukraine is an absolute disgrace and it can be done to Australia – and don’t think for a moment it couldn’t happen. The attempt to extort 50% of Ukraine’s rare earth minerals for equipment already supplied is outrageous. But our political leaders are completely mute about US conduct, so terrified of uttering a single word that might upset the Trump administration. It is moral cowardice at its worst. We are on our own – and the UK has pulled the plug on AUKUS. To add to that we have had Chinese warships operating in the Tasman Sea as a blatant show of force. It was inevitable that this would happen at some point. Australian Defence planners need to stop obsessing with the South China Sea and worry about places much closer to home. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The instability and unpredictability of the Trump administration continues – and that should have alarm bells ringing for Australian Defence planners. The US is no longer a reliable ally as is being demonstrated by threats to take Greenland from NATO member Denmark and the unnecessary imposition of tariffs on friendly nations such as Australia. It looks like Ukraine will be thrown under a bus, which should alarm all Australians in case China’s President Xi thinks he can get away with invading Taiwan. A bit more about the completely corrosive nature of Defence secrecy and the alarming evidence that the Chief of Army can be overruled by a 20-something staffer in a Ministerial office. Finally, some thoughts on technologies – and we should be investing heavily in home-grown drones. We don’t need to import a single one – there’s plenty of talent here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with some thoughts about the big international story of the moment, the idea from US President Donald Trump that all Palestinians be removed from Gaza so that it can be redeveloped as a luxury waterfront enclave. This does not seem a particularly good idea as President Trump has not yet explained where the 2 million Palestinians will go, or who will pay for the redevelopment. All that the mealy-mouthed Australian government will say is that it remains in favour of a Two State solution, a line echoed by the Opposition. This seems to overlook the fact that one of those states – Israel – is no longer interested in that approach and as well as having Palestinians kicked out of Gaza would like them kicked out of the West Bank as well. Australia has just handed over $800 million as a gift to very profitable US submarine manufacturers with another $4.2 billion to follow – and the media thinks it’s a wonderful idea. Some more words about the visit to HQ Joint Operations Command and the very valuable work being done there coordinating ADF operations both in Australia and internationally. Finally, the SEA 3000 secrecy stupidity shows no signs of abating. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We discuss several recent momentous events, including the inauguration of President Donald Trump. This has been followed immediately by various disruptions, such as the US slapping 25% tariffs on allies Canada and Mexico, with only 10% levied on the enemy China, which seems an odd way of going about things. Trump has also threatened to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal and turn Canada into the 51st state. These challenges to the international order have received widespread condemnation – but not from Australia because our politicians are too scared to say anything that might upset the Americans. And the government wonders why its popularity is sinking. The secrecy around SEA 3000 continues, with a team of probity staff scrutinising the media like Victorian era sensors trying to find references to breasts and buttocks – and this ridiculous exercise by Defence is costing we taxpayers millions of dollars per year in stupidity. Finally good news – a media visit to HQ Joint Operations Command, with more about this in the next podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have a look at some more details of the upgraded Mogami frigate and shed more light on how screwed up the process is for SEA 3000. It is shrouded in secrecy because Defence and the government don’t want you to know how little analysis has been done for a strategically vital multi billion dollar procurement. Why does the first ship have to be in the water in 2029? Why not 2028 – or 2030? Then Defence and the highly paid surface fleet review team don’t understand that the only ship Japan can sell to Australia is the upgraded Mogami FFM – not the one currently in service – because you can’t offer something no longer in production. If Japan can offer a variant of the Mogami, can Germany offer a larger variant of the MEKO 200 called the A210? If they can’t then prime contractor tkMS should quit the competition now and save themselves millions of Euro. We look at President-elect Donald Trump’s territorial ambitions and pose the question: if he asks for Australian military assistance for the invasions of Greenland, Canada and Panama will we give it? Presumably the answer from the Defence establishment will be in the affirmative, so completely dazzled as they are by AUKUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a slightly delayed podcast, mainly about SEA 3000 and Japan’s offer of an upgraded Mogami class frigate. For background, here is a link to a more detailed article in APDR: https://asiapacificdefencereporter.com/mogami-frigate-fast-and-stealthy-like-a-ninja/. The frigates are very impressive with a number of advanced, stealthy features such as an integrated communications mast and a dramatic reduction in radar cross section. They have a small crew of 90 for peacetime operations based on high levels of automation and also changes to how the ship is operated – and does the RAN have the flexibility to make necessary changes in processes, particularly with regard to training? Previous experience suggests they will struggle – and they probably don’t even know what they are getting themselves into. Given the recent dismal record of the RAN in cancelling SEA 1000; destroying SEA 1180; and scrapping SEA 1905, it's a contract Japan might regret winning. And some nasty rumours about the competitor Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems are already circulating in the RAN – and this sort of destructive nonsense has to be stamped out. Finally a few words about biscuits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we resume discussing the US media tour, we see that Collins class submarine sustainment has been put on the government’s Projects of Concern list. ASC, the company responsible, is legally owned by the Minister for Finance, so it’s one Minister putting another on notice. When you add the review into the Australian Submarine Agency to the mix it seems there are problems with the entire submarine enterprise – but a mere two months ago the Chief of Navy criticised the media for being too negative. Next, vertical launch missile systems and the Lockheed Martin Mk 70 that holds Harpoon and SM-6 could easily go on the Arafura OPVs – an idea so good it will be totally ignored by the RAN. Finally, we visited Sikorsky in Stratford, the Lockheed Martin company building the UH-60M Black Hawk, currently being delivered to Australia. This is an excellent, reliable helicopter that will be easier for the Australian Army to maintain – especially with the money that they are throwing at it. Does it justify the decision to destroy the Taipan helicopter fleet? Of course not. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast is coming from the USA but let’s start with the review of the Australian Submarine Agency, which came to light last week. This will be conducted by Dennis Richardson, one of the most pro-US people in the national security domain – so don’t be expecting any changes to the objectives of AUKUS Pillar One, just some fine tuning of methods. Next is an update of the F-35 program and the Block 4 upgrade, which has been installed on Australia’s final nine aircraft and will be retrofitted to the entire fleet. Let’s compare them with the capabilities of a Virginia class submarine – and 6 or 7 F-35s can deliver as many weapons as a single SSN. A submarine goes to sea with 40 weapons on board for a three month mission. F-35s can fly backwards and forwards, refuel and rearm – and continue attacking enemy targets day after day. Submarines are limited to the weapons they have when they leave port. Which is better value for money? Finally a few words on the end of the Assad regime in Syria: it won’t be missed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this initial Defence industry chat, we discuss Navantia Australia’s Technical Partner Network. As Jamie Gibbs explains, Navantia Australia is creating a network of local suppliers that will improve sovereign capability across the naval support domain. That’s a view shared by two of their partners, Rubicon Associates and Marenav, with both companies enthusiastic about the concept. As John Robertson and Adam Smith (not the famous 18th century economist) describe, this approach greatly benefits strategic self reliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we cover the two big Defence stories that broke last week: the emergency funding request in the US to prop up Virginia class submarine construction and secondly the Japanese government granting approval for the potential sale to Australia of Mogami class frigates. With the frigates, the Australian government, Defence and the RAN are now in serious danger of creating a false expectation that Japan is going to win this deal, no matter what. Unless this is true – in which case why bother with a competition – expectations need to be lowered because all that Tokyo is hearing is that Australia considers the relationship with Japan to be strategically vital. If the competition is real the quickest way of calming things down is for the competitors to be allowed to openly speak about what they are offering. Next, nuclear-powered submarine production in the US is slowing down – and the Australian Submarine Agency remains in complete denial. We know for a fact that production is slowing because the USN has said it is. That’s just a fact and no amount of talking up bipartisan support in Congress makes the slightest difference to reality. And guess what – the US is already practising its lines for when all of this goes bad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The SEA 3000 General Purpose Frigate shortlist has been confirmed and unsurprisingly the leaked information is correct – it’s Germany and Japan. But obviously it couldn’t be that simple, so two designs from Thyssenkrupp will be evaluated and one from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. However, the MHI ship the Mogami FFM has not yet been built, with the first to be delivered in 2027. This would seem to indicate it is already in breach of Defence guidelines,, which are for an existing design. But it’s even worse, with Chief of Navy telling Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy that the RAN is happy to take any combat system, throwing 30 years of work standardising around the Saab 9LV CMS into the bin. Then another sad story of an exceptional Australian company DroneShield selling its leading edge counter drone technology all around the world – just not in Australia. Instead, for a perimeter security requirement the RAAF recently awarded a $30 million contract to Anduril, the US company funded by tech billionaires. It’s enough to make one scream, along with a few other topics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First some unfinished business from the Submarine Institute of Australia conference. The Chief of Navy asks why aren’t there more positive stories about Collins submarines? The reason is quite simple: because you won’t tell us anything. This goes for the other services as well – you cannot complain about lack of coverage if you deliberately suppress the release of information. That’s something that Defence Minister Richard Marles knows well. It’s the definition of hypocrisy: say you are in favour of communicating with the Australian public and then obstruct journalists from doing their job. Some words about the new Trump administration starting to take shape and the surprisingly large amount of publicity about our current Ambassador – and former Labor PM – Kevin Rudd. Deciding who the Australian Ambassador should be is a decision for us – not anyone else. As for the eternal bonds of friendship between the US and Australia – when Trump was last President he didn’t even bother appointing an Ambassador here until the end of his term. That’s a clear indication of the importance Trump attaches to Australia. None. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our previous analysis of the US Presidential election was wrong – and by a wide margin. Obviously there’s a huge level of anger, resentment and frustration in the American system. Donald Trump has won a bigger victory than in 2016 – and the consequences for Australia are unknown. Any Australian politician assuming it’s business as usual runs the risk of making a major mistake. What do we do if Donald Trump jacks up the cost of acquiring nuclear-powered submarines by a lot? Has anyone in Defence or the government thought through those consequences? And please don’t say it could never happen. A quick summary of SEA 3000 – and it’s between Germany and Japan. Then the Submarine Institute of Australia conference where Chief of Navy mistakenly re-read his 2023 speech and during which journalists were told they would be kicked out of the venue if they approached anyone at morning tea to say hello. The Virginia class program is in big trouble because of supply chain issues – but you will never hear that from an Australian official. Finally, Army’s campaign of deception about the performance of Black Hawk helicopters continues. Someone has to put a stop to this outrage – it’s wrong at every possible level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy at the NPC last week and lots of stuff about extra missiles for the ADF. That’s all well and good – but these things are either fully imported or, at best, manufactured under license here with a few local components. There are no longer any sovereign Australian IP in weapons – we seem to have collectively given up on the idea of designing any ourselves. The latest from the mess that is AUKUS Pillar One. Then a few words about the shock cancellation of JP9102. There goes the last chance of any form of sovereign satellite communications capability – it’s back to bad old days of having to go cap in hand to the US for some bandwidth – and then being charged a fortune for it. Finally, the shortlist for SEA 3000 the General Purpose Frigates approaches – and golly gosh what an unmitigated disaster this project is. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have some truly stunning – and worrying – information that the rate of US nuclear powered submarine construction is slowing down, not speeding up. The information is on the public record and comes from the CEO of Electric Boat, Phebe Novakovic in a briefing for shareholders. The problem is with the supply chain – companies manufacturing critical components cannot keep up with the required rate and as a consequence both the Columbia class SSBNs and Virginia SSNs will be delayed. This must be worrying news for the RAN – and it seems astounding that there has been no reporting of note in Australia about a development that could completely derail AUKUS Pillar One. The US also seems to be counting on Australia lifting Defence expenditure so that it can afford these submarines without cutting other capabilities – but that is exactly what has already started to happen. Finally, Defence officials have once again managed to get their way and have hounded German shipbuilding company Luerssen out of Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week saw a bit of extra good news for Ukraine with the announcement that Australia will donate 49 M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks that are being retired from service. An extra 10 Abrams will be available for spare parts, or they could be returned to a usable condition. No matter how you look at this, it’s a significant contribution because while the tanks are a bit long in the tooth they are still a formidable capability, particularly against the ageing junk that Russia is now forced to field. Also last week saw a bit of coverage of the latest US Congressional Research Service report into AUKUS Pillar One – and it identifies a number of failures in the Australian process. Related to this, we are spending billions of dollars in WA getting ready for the deployment of US and possibly UK nuclear-powered submarines with no one doing the analysis of whether we should simply increase the size of that force for the defence of Australia. Finally some words about the company Austal – how come they are all of a sudden in such a privileged position? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with a Canberra bubble story – but one with national implications – the strange tale of the former Chief of Staff to Defence Minister Richard Marles. The CoS of a Minister plays a vital role in the daily running of the office and has additional important duties such as liaising with the Department, other Ministers and various stakeholders. Without a competent CoS in place an office rapidly becomes dysfunctional. Then a few more words about the unfolding disaster of SEA 3000, which is coming up for some form of short listing in November. Also we are starting to receive some information about how much Australia has earned from the sale of Taipan helicopter spare parts. The answer is – probably zero. Unfortunately it looks like the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance helicopters are also being mismanaged and unless there’s an urgent change of direction they will similarly end up in landfill. They should instead be going to Ukraine and there’s a case study that needs to be read aloud to every person in Army connected with the destruction of the Taipan fleet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are 5 ship designers in the running for the SEA 3000 General Purpose Frigate contract – and 2 of them are from South Korea. In this episode we discuss Hanwha Ocean, based on a visit to their extremely impressive facility at Okpo near Busan on the south coast of the country. However, we could not discuss their Australian bid because the government has banned companies from speaking with the media under threat that if they do so their participation in the competition will be instantly cancelled. This is to prevent any information about how badly this project is being bungled by the RAN ever reaching the Australian public. Even with that restriction there was still plenty to talk about, including Hanwha Ocean frigates for the Korean and Thai navies. Then a few words about industry policy, where the government of South Korea is doing the Australian government’s job for it. As promised, a few words about UK nuclear submarine projects – and they are struggling so badly with their own programs it is hard to see how they will ever manage to design and build SSN AUKUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does the Australian government show so little enthusiasm for increasing the amount of aid going to Ukraine? Doing so is overwhelmingly popular with about 80% of Australians in favour. However, it looks like the government and our officials are doing just enough to tick a few boxes. At a minimum a single person with a lot of authority needs to be put in charge of the aid program – and they need to get moving. Then a media trip to a factory in the Queensland town of Maryborough that manufactures 155mm artillery shells – and all of them are purchased by the German government before finding their way to Ukraine. A Joint Venture between Australian company NIOA and Germany’s Rheinmetall Waffe Munition, it could form an essential part of a sovereign 155mm projectile capability – but again that requires a decision followed by action. Finally a few words about AUKUS and Virginia class submarines – we do the maths and figure which ones we might receive. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We return to some favourite themes: nuclear powered submarines; Taipan helicopters; and aid for Ukraine. But before that a few words about the Middle East and what looks to be a further deterioration in an already bad situation. Everyone shares blame, but it’s worth noting that major demographic changes mean that Israel is different from the country in the 1970s that many of us found inspirational. It must occur to people that there are some in Israel who don’t want peace with Hamas but will happily continue bombing Gaza until nothing remains. Equally, leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah don’t care how many of their own people die. After that, why cannot VADM Jonathon Mead – or the government - answer the simple question: what happens if the US cannot lift the production rate of Virginia class submarines to 2:33 per year.? It’s a very simple question without an answer. We conclude with updates on last year’s Taipan helicopter ditching and problems with the flow of aid to Ukraine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Land Forces exhibition special feature with some random highlights from the show last week. These included an uncrewed 8-wheeled armoured ground vehicle enabled by AI and designed by BAE Systems to operate with conventional forces. Also SPEE3D, an Australian company using additive manufacturing to undertake in-field repairs. Despite international success – including sending units to Ukraine – do you think the Australian Army has bought any? A few words about Hanwha, the South Korean company that has gone from obscurity to now being the largest supplier, by dollar value, to the Army. They have announced that Sydney-based Advanced Navigation will become part of their global supply chains, which should be a huge boost to business. And some unexpected success – Chief of the Army has agreed to an interview to discuss the Taipan helicopter fiasco (my words, not his). Let’s hope other senior figures also push back against ridiculous Ministerial interference in what they can say in public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government and the Australian Submarine Agency are up to their usual tricks of minimising scrutiny by playing media favourites. Not only is this wrong in principle it’s a symptom of deeper problems in the ASA – and there will be a lot more coming out about that in the next few days. People who know what they are doing enjoy having their ideas challenged and it is generally the poor performers who prefer to hide. And with that in mind, our squabble with Army over the destruction of the Taipan helicopter fleet continues. Why does it matter any longer now that the damage has been done? Two reasons – this fiasco should never be repeated; and secondly, let’s have some accountability. Army have been concealing true support costs for years – and we blow the whistle on some of those. Finally, the General Purpose Frigate program and could we be seeing a tiny glimpse of sanity? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unusually, we can start with two pieces of positive news. On August 22, Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced that the government will spend $850 million on a factory in Newcastle that will produce Naval Strike Missiles and Joint Strike Missiles. These come from Norwegian company Kongsberg and will drastically improve the anti-ship capabilities of the ADF. This follows a decision to also manufacture GMLRS rounds locally for Army’s HIMARS launchers. After a slow start the GWEO is developing some momentum. On the next day, Defence Minister Richard Marles opened Hanwha’s armoured vehicle centre of excellence near Avalon airport. It will build Huntsman 155mm Self Propelled Howitzers and tracked Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles – another positive for Australian manufacturing. Finally, the 3-way technology sharing agreement between the US, UK and Australia is already showing some major deficiencies. No surprise there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The government has announced, in its usual over-the-top manner, reforms to the export licensing system between Australia, the US and the UK. While this is fine in principle, it is based on an absolute lie, namely that Australia exports $5 billion worth of military technology to those partner countries. This is a joke. We sell some F-35 components to the US and almost nothing to the UK. The true figure is likely to be one twentieth of the government’s claim. At the same time, former Minister for Foreign Affairs was giving a speech with the title: “AUKUS – the worst defence and foreign policy decision our country has made.” More to come on this. Then let’s talk a bit more about the advantages of nuclear propulsion versus conventional – and many of the claimed differences don’t stand up to rigorous scrutiny. Also technological advances are making the South China Sea too difficult to operate a crewed submarine in today – let alone 10 years from now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s more AUKUS stupidity to talk about, with now a secret political deal with the US and UK to be factored in. It is so secret that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese doesn’t seem to have any idea what it’s about. There’s speculation that it could compel Australia to go to war with China over Taiwan – but that issue is more nuanced than most people understand. Or could it be about the storage in Australia of high level nuclear waste from other countries – which seems irrelevant since we will be storing many hundreds of tonnes of high level waste from our own decommissioned submarines. Why is the media incapable of asking obvious follow up questions? The only way left to reform the system is to start a new political party called Transparent Government and start taking seats off Labor, preferably including Corio, currently held by Richard Marles. Finally some wise words from David Sanger, one of the best and most knowledgeable national security journalists in the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A poor start from new CDF Admiral David Johnson, who told ABC News Breakfast television that every day sees an increase in ADF capability. The opposite appears to be the case with Navy in particular going backwards, followed by the Army – and for the next 10 years the RAAF isn’t receiving anything new thanks to budget restrictions. Spotted during Exercise Talisman Sabre – Defence Minister Richard Marles riding in an Italian NH90 helicopter, which is almost identical to the 45 Australian Taipans he ordered destroyed in September last year. Might he have had the thought “how come the Italians can support these helicopters when the Australian Army could not?” Then it looks like there’s a coordinated push back against criticism of AUKUS Pillar One, so we pour a bit more fuel over that particular fire. Finally an anecdote about Ministerial pomposity – or rather the lack of it – from the 1980s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have been at the Indian Ocean Defence and Security (IODS) conference in Perth – so plenty of naval things to talk about. First, ASA Head VADM Jonathon Mead refreshingly and honestly said that there were many obstacles to overcome before nuclear-powered submarines could be delivered, a nice change from the previous rhetoric that everything was fine. Speaking with well qualified industry people from the US and UK, the consensus is that Australia is already a decade behind where we need to be with factors such as training and infrastructure. Then a remarkable offer from the Korean government to deliver the first General Purpose Frigate by 2029 and the next two by 2030 if either Hyundai or Hanwha are selected. Finally, what do people not understand about the Luerssen corvette offer? It’s all about maintaining the Arafura supply chain and getting very rapid capability to the RAN. And we do a bit of character assassination along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are no new procurement disasters to talk about, so let’s do some big picture stuff. Why is it that two former Prime Ministers, one Labor and one Liberal – Malcolm Turnbull and Paul Keating – think that AUKUS Pillar One is a thoroughly bad idea, but Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison are uncritically boosting it? Could it be explained by the different backgrounds they all have and whether or not they are able to apply critical thinking to major projects? Successfully completing an acquisition or winning a project involves a lot more than being enthusiastic about the result. It might be the case that the uncritical AUKUS mindset is beginning to infect other processes, such as the disastrous General Purpose Frigate acquisition. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have to start with some words about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and what that might mean for Australia. It almost certainly now means the re-election of someone who is profoundly pro-Russian, anti-European and with an ambivalent attitude towards the Asia-Pacific region. Australian politicians are so in thrall of the US that they constantly drone on about shared values, which are actually few and far between. The US remains our strongest security partner but we will have to do more for ourselves – after all the US previously withdrew from Asia as part of the Guam doctrine in the early 1970s. Related to this, last week there was a very important South Korea – Australia defence forum in Canberra. This was an initiative from the ROK and included offers made at Ministerial level for cooperation on cyber, uninhabited systems – and a remarkable initiative to co-develop and jointly fund a space port. Defence officials should be on their way to Seoul right now to follow up on this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with an overview of recent and ongoing Defence procurement disasters – not to bore people but as a reminder that there is something seriously wrong with how the system functions. Defence Minister Richard Marles continues to think that everything is fine when in fact it is not. Another concern is the amount of misinformation coming from Defence officials – and we aren’t talking about the occasional slip of the tongue. Testimony has been given to Senate Estimates that is just plain provably wrong on multiple topics. A few words about psychology and how it is that objectively stupid decisions such as destroying and burying Taipan helicopters can gain Ministerial endorsement rather than be sent back to the drawing board. To lighten the mood – an anecdote from the time when we had a Minister who was capable of thinking objectively and believing the evidence of his own eyes rather than the official nonsense he was told. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Firstly another interview with Defence Minister Richard Marles, from which we learned nothing useful. More about the RAAF $10 billion error in not considering the Embraer C390 as the replacement for the C-130J fleet. As several countries have discovered, the C390 is less expensive to acquire, costs less to support – and flies faster and further with more cargo than a C-130J. We quote extensively from the publicly available Dutch evaluation of the two aircraft, which conclusively concludes that the C390 is by far the better choice. South Korea has come to exactly the same conclusion. The RAAF didn’t even bother looking at it. The General Purpose Frigate situation keeps getting worse – and the government and the RAN are walking into a complete disaster. Finally, having no refund clause for our forthcoming $4.6 billion donation to the US submarine industrial base makes Australia’s AUKUS negotiating position immeasurably weaker. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings from Brazil, where we are checking out the Embraer KC-390 twin jet airlifter. It can carry more cargo than a C-130J a lot further and a lot faster. Yet Australia is spending almost $10 billion for 20 C-130Js without the benefit of any sort of competitive evaluation. But it’s actually far worse than that because we are getting fewer C-130Js for more money than originally indicated – a major scandal that has been sitting in plain sight for more than a year and which has received no scrutiny at all. Two of the toughest, most objective, evaluators of military equipment are the Netherlands and South Korea. During the last 12 months they have both selected the KC-390 instead of the C-130J. Does it look like the RAAF has made the wrong choice? You bet it does – and it’s happened because they have been too lazy to do their job properly. And a few final words about smoking helicopter engines. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before we say some more about the General Purpose Frigate debacle let’s unpack the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine debacle and the revelation in Senate Estimates hearings that we are making two almost identical $4.7 billion payments to US and UK companies without a refund clause. Mind you that information had to be dragged out of ASA Head, VADM Jonathon Mead, who refused to answer several questions about a refund or clawback clause. Clearly there isn’t one. Imagine if it were revealed that the government had given $9.4 billion to a company to build a hospital without any conditions and no refund clause. There would be outrage because nothing would prevent the company pocketing all of the cash and laughing at taxpayers. Then the General Purpose frigate – and there is more evidence to show that neither Navy nor the Independent Review Team have a clue about what they are doing. Finally a positive story about how Navy used to communicate in the days before they became a US-obsessed cult, unused to ever being questioned. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 50 but there’s no time for self-congratulations because there’s more Defence incompetence to talk about – and top of the list is the General Purpose Frigate. In this country we are told nothing, but speaking in the UK the Head of RAN Capability explained that, yes, we will be purchasing an existing design with no changes whatsoever. None. However, this new design is also expected to comply with Australian regulations and be compatible with existing Australian and allied combat systems. In other words, this is impossible. You cannot have a ship built for another navy and for it to also be fully compliant with Australian standards – it cannot be done and people arguing to the contrary clearly have zero project management experience. Also we unpack the smearing of Luerssen and the disgraceful rumours peddled by the RAN to cover up their own failures. There is a way to fix the capability gap – build corvettes based on the Arafura design that will have 80% Australian content with the first ship delivered from Henderson in 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have a bit more to say about the ridiculous levels of secrecy surrounding military projects in this country. In comparison, the US tries to be helpful, as evidenced by a couple of recent visits, including by Lieutenant General Steven Sklenka from the Marine Corps. Also a look at the recently passed Securing Australia’s Military Secrets (SAMS) legislation, which is obviously written by lawyers who don’t know what they are doing. No wonder so few people want to join the ADF. And another Kingo Hotel Friday lunchtime rumour: the project to equip Australia’s armoured vehicles with active protection systems has been scrapped because of budget issues. After recording this there is news about the General Purpose Frigate – the government has released something called an Approach To Industry, but has given companies an insanely short 3 week period to reply. More on this in the next episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week saw the release of the Federal Budget, the Defence component of which has not received a lot of media attention, probably because the Integrated Investment Plan was released a fortnight earlier. But there were some gems, such as the data that the spend for acquiring nuclear-powered submarines will total $13.6 billion over the next four years. That’s before a single submarine is delivered. It is likely to include a gift of about $8 billion to US and UK industries. There’s also the curious case of SEA 3000, the General Purpose Frigate project, which isn’t even mentioned. Speaking of which, the concept of Minimum Viable Capability and taking something “as is” from a parent shipyard looks flakier by the second. A few words about the conviction of whistleblower David McBride. The sentence looks harsh and will deter other whistleblowers – and Australia’s oppressive secrecy laws need to change. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with a retrospective chat about the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the USSR and the corrosive effects of secrecy and cover ups. Australia is thankfully not like the Soviet Union – far from it – but the government management of information about Defence and national security is becoming increasingly paranoid, self-destructive and harmful. It is now routine for all media requests to be totally ignored by the Department and for Ministers to propagate an entirely false picture of the status of the ADF – and in particular ignore the consequences of trying to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. This goes right to the top – including Ministers and senior military figures – who rather than provide useful information rely instead on cheap appeals to patriotism. This is irrational and harmful. Thankfully there are some positive examples from the U.S. about how the dissemination of information could, and should, occur. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An industry source has described the General Purpose Frigate project as a “goat rodeo”, but before we get to that a few words about the cancellation of SEA 1905. This was the latest RAN effort to improve mine warfare capabilities – and after 5 years of effort on the part of three bidders has been abruptly cancelled. No reason has been given but it looks to be because Australia will soon transfer $4.7 billion to profitable US submarine construction companies. However, mine warfare is a vital capability, particularly if you hope to operate nuclear-powered submarines. A few words about the IIP – and the big takeaway is that funding is only available for the new submarines and general purpose frigates. This means Navy will receive 38% of the acquisition budget – more than Army, RAAF and Cyber combined. Finally the Luerssen corvette offer – and someone has to find out why it was apparently ignored by the Independent Review into the surface fleet. It’s the only way of rapidly delivering capability with all ships constructed at Henderson with an existing Australian supply chain giving 80% local content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First some good news – an extra $100 million of military aid for Ukraine. It’s not enough and Australia could be doing a lot more, but at least it’s a move in the right direction. Next – the unfolding disaster of the General Purpose Frigate project. Some acquisitions are doomed from the very beginning and this is one of them. Firstly, the highly paid independent reviewers of the RAN future surface fleet couldn’t even get it right about how many designs from Korea are available. Secondly, the Minimum Viable Capability philosophy might force the RAN to buy ships that are incompatible with every other class because there will not be enough time to include CEA radars and the Saab 9LV combat management system. Also we make another unsuccessful attempt to shed light on how the impending $4.7 billion transfer to US submarine manufacturers was calculated. Does no one care? It’s wrecking the Australian Defence budget. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Plan have been released, but in the short term this does nothing for Australia’s military capabilities – the serious funding increase is later in the decade. It also ignores the effect of inflation. The accompanying speech of Defence Minister Richard Marles at the National Press Club revealed a hilarious level of stupidity within the Defence establishment. The apparent logic of reducing the number of planned Infantry Fighting Vehicles from 450 to 129 is that our two Canberra class LHDs can only carry about 50 IFVs at a time – so why do we need more than that? Amazingly, this completely ignores the fact that ships can return to port and load more IFVs. It also ignores the fact that they can be transported by RAAF’s highly capable C-17 fleet. Then we have a look at nuclear-powered submarine funding – and of the approved $13 billion, one third of that is handed out to highly profitable US companies and the rest goes on digging holes and pouring concrete. There’s zero added value. Finally, some good news for Ukraine – but not from Australia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

First we noticed a small piece of good news that a Wollongong-based steel manufacturer has landed a contract with a US submarine builder, but it’s likely to be very small. Which prompts the question: where is the $30 billion going that Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says will be spent in Australia for AUKUS Pillar 1 – and it doesn’t take much to figure out that at least the first $10 billion is going on digging ditches and filling them with concrete. Not a lot of value adding there. The Defence budget, when used properly, can be a powerful tool for investing directly in the Australian economy. Very few governments understand that – and the current one appears clueless. Next – the looming disaster of the General Purpose Frigate. This is already a mess because not only is the media being kept in the dark but far more seriously the companies themselves have been forbidden from any contact with Australian industry. Let’s have a quick recap of how Australia successfully managed naval shipbuilding in the mid 1990s. Finally – an alternate future: the RAN could have started taking delivery in 2026 of the first of a class of powerful, missile firing corvettes. Instead we get nothing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is recorded in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. It’s a good opportunity to talk submarines and surface ships because of what is happening here. The occasion was an invitation to attend a signing ceremony for the contractual handover of the ROKS Shin Chae-ho an SSK of about the same displacement as the Collins class. However, this submarine is far more modern, with a Vertical Launch System and Air independent Propulsion, meaning it can stay fully submerged and completely silent for up to three weeks. This SSK is the 21st in a series of 27 South Korean conventional attack submarines. Then we toured the mighty ROKS Jeongjo the Great – the most recent KDX Aegis destroyer that weighs 11,000 tonnes and has 128 VLS cells. Construction time – 9 months. That’s not a misprint. Then finally we chat about the Australian General Purpose Frigates and the possibility that two Korean companies will bid. Defence has outrageously gagged all of the bidders from saying a single word to the Australian media about any aspect of the program, which is unacceptable in a democracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode focuses entirely on AUKUS, which is totally dominating the national security debate at the moment – and that’s not necessarily a good thing with everything else being ignored. First we had the news from the US that they will only build a single Virginia class submarine in 2025, which looks like a deceleration in their effort to reach a rate of 2.33 per year needed to have excess platforms to then sell to Australia. But for our government, it’s business as usual with the line that they are very confident that everything is going to plan. What is that confidence based on? One suspects nothing more than being patted on the head by senior US figures and being told, trust us – and thank you for the gift of $4.7 billion that you will start transferring later this year. Then there was another forelock-tugging performance during the visits from the UK of Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Defence Secretary Grant Shapps. The Australian euphoria about signing a Status of Forces agreement is ridiculous – these things are simple, routine, legal agreements that are put in place all the time. Australian politicians need to stop grovelling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with an unusual news item from Qatar: that country operates the NH90/Taipan family of helicopters – and they have an availability rate of 80%! But our Army – and the government – have been telling everyone that the main problem with Taipans was their lack of availability. Could it be that someone hasn’t been telling the truth? Also, we noticed an abandoned ex-Australian Special Forces vehicle in Ukraine and we wonder why some of these have been donated rather than being dismantled for spare parts and buried. By now it is too late for any of the Taipans to be reassembled for Australia – Army and the government are just too pig-headed for that – but there is still time to get them to Ukraine, even if it’s in the form of all the parts. And don’t look to the RAN to save us because they will soon be running out of surface ships. In the US the return of Donald Trump to the Presidency is suddenly looking more likely – and if he scraps AUKUS it might do us all a favour by bowing to the inevitable. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with the revelation that it’s not the Department or Ministers to blame for the lack of information about Defence going to Australian industry and the media – it’s our own security services! I know because Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy says so. Speaking of security services and the annual assessment provided by ASIO head Mike Burgess – what a circus. The claim that an Australian politician was a traitor has sent shock waves throughout the country. Why was the person not arrested and charged with espionage? Mr Burgess hides behind not wanting to reveal operational details – but no one is asking for those. The whole thing is either a grotesque exaggeration or has been cooked up to make ASIO look tough. Next an impassioned appeal at the NPC from Ukraine’s Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko directly to Defence Minister Richard Marles, which will probably be ignored. It makes no sense. Finally for all the bureaucrats trying to hide from the Taipan fiasco: the details are eventually going to come out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just back from the Singapore air show, we have a few thoughts about the structure of defence industries – but the main topic is the government’s response to the review of the RAN surface fleet. There are some worthwhile developments, but how long will all of this take?What we are witnessing is 20 years of very poor planning because the Hobart class should have been in continuous production in 3-ship batches with new technology insertion. Luerssen have been shafted because they simply produced the Arafura class in a configuration specified by the RAN.  The cover up regarding the disposal of Taipan helicopters is continuing, but at least we have a public inquiry into the fatal Talisman Sabre crash. It might be that Ministers are finally waking up to the fact that the situation is by no means as simple as they might have been led to believe. Finally: the Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters – either donate them to Ukraine or start converting them for uncrewed operations working in conjunction with the future Apache attack helicopter fleet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By popular demand, it’s time for more dirt on Taipan helicopters, but before that there’s some breaking news about AUKUS. In the US, supplemental funding that was going to help lift the rate of submarine production has fallen foul of Trump-worshipping Republicans in Congress. The omnibus legislation was mainly about securing the southern border but also contained military aid for Ukraine and Israel – plus about another $3.3 billion for submarine stuff. So while Australia remains on the hook for a contribution of $4.6 billion – which neither the government nor the RAN can justify – the Americans refuse to spend their own money to speed up submarine production. What an ally! Unless Virginia class submarines are being built at a rate of 2.33 per year, Australia will receive nothing. Finally – Taipan helicopters have received a decent amount of scrutiny in Senate Estimates, though some of the reporting of that has been woeful. Media colleagues: please get it through your thick skulls that the Taipan helicopters are perfectly safe. The obscene speed with which Army has tried to destroy them has only one cause – they don’t want another country to successfully use them because that would reveal massive Australian incompetence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Firstly, let’s have a look at the delayed F-35 program – an issue that has received very little coverage in Australia. The government promised that all 72 jets would be in country by the end of 2023. Well they aren’t, and no one is sure when the final nine will be delivered. Defence isn’t saying anything and the only comment from the government is it makes no difference whatsoever – in which case why not sell the last nine and stick with the 63 that we have? Also some snarky comments about the relationship Defence Minister Richard Marles has with the Department of Defence. Next – Taipan helicopters and there have been some developments, but none of them are particularly encouraging. I suggest that the Federal opposition does the job for which it is being paid. And finally, the impending government response into the surface fleet – and it looks like the Arafura class offshore patrol vessels will be a casualty. If so, more than $1.5 billion has been wasted. Does anyone care? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we do some more digging into the extraordinary story of the destruction of the Taipan helicopter fleet when Ukraine desperately needs them. Why is the government so completely tone deaf? What do they hope to gain by turning down the request from Kyiv? Also visual evidence shows that many of them remain in good condition despite the government’s hints to the contrary. Defence’s own portfolio budget statements (PBS) for the current financial year say that a facility exists at Townsville airport for the storage of Taipans. Why isn’t it being used? Who keeps on making these ridiculous decisions, backed up with untruthful statements? We also have a few words about the use of FPV drones in combat and Australia’s lack of interest in them. And for more poor quality decision making, why have the two Canberra class LHDs been modified so that F-35B STOVL jets can never be operated from them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have more detail on the scrapping of Taipan helicopters – noting that Ministers Marles and Conroy appear to have gone into witness protection – showing that they were not nearly as expensive to keep as Army has been complaining. I hoped to question the Prime Minister asking if Germany can donate six very old Sea Kings to Ukraine, why on earth can we not send 45 modern very capable Taipans to a country fighting for its survival? What sort of government do we have? The politicians can keep running away from this but they cannot hide forever. And what about the capability gap? Documents show that only six Black Hawks will arrive in this financial year to replace 45 Taipans – but neither Army nor the government seem to care. Finally a few words about Israel’s response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack – continuing to kill such large numbers of Palestinian civilians needs to stop. Let’s have a look at another conflict caused by a disproportionate response to terrorism: the First World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some very disturbing new information has come to light regarding the fiasco of retiring and burying the Taipan helicopter fleet. Senator David Fawcett (Lib / SA) has confirmed to me that he briefed the government in mid-October that Ukraine was interested in acquiring them. He was in a NATO meeting October 7-12 and met a number of Ukrainian military figures who stated their interest in Taipan, especially for MEDEVAC. It is unconscionable that the government then went ahead with the secret scheme to trash them. And let’s talk cost of living pressures. Getting rid of Taipans and unnecessarily replacing them with older Black Hawks costs around $4 billion, which works out to about $640 for a family of four. Which would you rather have: that money or some buried helicopters? Inflation? What is a major cause of inflation – the war in Ukraine. You want to put downward pressure on inflation then how about giving Ukraine the means to defeat Russia? And a final word about AUKUS. There’s also bipartisan support in the US for Ukraine – and look where that’s got them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we continue with the sorry tale of burying Taipan helicopters rather than donating them to Ukraine. This really is a disgrace and has the potential to cost Defence Minister Richard Marles his job because new information is that the Government was made aware in November of Ukraine’s interest, a full month earlier than previously reported. Mind you, that depends on the Opposition doing their job – namely, holding the Government to account. Ukraine wants to use the Taipans for casualty evacuation – and their use would save the lives of thousands of young men and women. What sort of Government do we have that prefers to destroy the helicopters rather than donate them to save lives? Finally for some comic relief we look at the time when Defence decided to bury two Russian helicopter gunships because they couldn’t think of anything better. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! While Australia was enjoying a peaceful Christmas, Ukraine was not – so why is our Army in the process of destroying 45 perfectly good Taipan helicopters rather than donating them? Ukraine made the request in mid-December and it looks like the government is pretending it hasn’t happened. It seems extraordinary that highly capable military helicopters worth $900 million – that the ADF has declared it no longer wants – are being disassembled as a prelude to being buried in landfill. Who is running Australia – the elected Government or the Defence Department? This is a scandal in the making with a lot of detail to come exposing a significant coverup – but the truth will be revealed. What a shame that most people are on holiday – which is what Defence is counting on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legislation has now passed the US Congress putting in place a framework for AUKUS Pillar One. Does this mean that Australia will be acquiring second hand Virginia class submarines? No, it does not. In fact some of the wording is so vague that a future US President could cancel the deal on a personal whim. Secondly, the industrial mobilisation problems are vast – and thirdly if anyone says AUKUS is safe from political changes because of bipartisan support in the US then they must be on drugs. Currently, US military aid to both Israel and Ukraine is being held hostage to demands from Republicans to fund the wall with Mexico – and Australia is no different. Also a lot of nonsense has been spoken about Virginias – they are not the best SSNs in the world. There are at least two other designs that are better. Finally – helicopters. What a travesty that Australia will spend $11 billion on previous generation machinery, without scrutiny, just to keep a handful of Army officers happy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just for a change, we start with some positive developments, including a bilateral security treaty with PNG. Another positive item is a contract with Bisalloy to start qualifying steel for Australian built nuclear powered submarines. That looks to be 15 years earlier than necessary and might have more to do with US reporting requirements rather than Australian needs. Speaking of which, one of the main AUKUS boosters in Congress is Joe Courtney. He seems like a very nice reasonable person – but his Congressional district includes the Electric Boat submarine yard in Groton. It is owned by General Dynamics, which also happens to be his largest single donor. There’s nothing improper in this – it’s just the way politics works in the US but Australians need to be aware of the connection. Regarding Israel’s continuing pounding of Gaza with horrendous civilian casualties: please stop. You are damaging your own international reputation and it won’t wipe out Hamas, which is an idea, not a building or a person. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a busy week in Canberra for the media – first, we had a National Press Club address by Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy. This was followed by businessman Robert Nioa launching a report titled: “ Developing Australia’s Defence Industrial Base” which details eight recommendations to the Department of Defence and the Australian Government about how to grow sovereign capabilities. The chances of it being accepted are not good because the Government – and Defence – believe they are doing a wonderful job and aren’t interested in any views to the contrary. Then we have another FMS purchase worth $3 billion for nuclear-powered submarine support services – but is the timing right? Finally the story of how a RAN officer tried to destroy the Collins submarine program – and rather than being shot was rewarded with promotions and medals. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Continuing extraordinary revelations from the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit into the Hunter class frigate program. Secretary of the Department of Defence, Greg Moriarty, accepts that the selected design was immature – and that he was misled by his own people about details of the evaluation. Next let’s visualise what $1 billion looks like when stacked in $100 notes – it’s about an 18 cubic metre block. Now imagine multiples of that being soaked with petrol and set on fire. Figuratively, that’s what Defence is doing with the unnecessary replacement of Taipan helicopters with Blackhawks. We provide a few more relevant examples. Finally, not re-opening our Embassy in Kiev and refusing to reveal details of VIP aircraft use – who can see the connection? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Just for a change we start with a preview of a positive article in the next edition of APDR, a chat with Glenn Keyes the co-founder of Aspen Medical. Then an extraordinary development in better understanding the selection of the Type 26 frigate for the Hunter class program – a Defence review that is scathing of the Department’s own processes. This has been submitted to the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit which, in turn, has been investigating an ANAO report into the 2018 selection process and details – among many other problems – missing crucial records. Call in the police! If it’s good enough to threaten APDR then the Department also needs further pressure. We have a few comments about the appalling level of ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip, which needs to come to an end. Some comments about nuclear powered submarines – and we conclude with questions about elephants. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We finally had the chance to ask Defence Minister Richard Marles some questions about the proposed purchase of second-hand Virginia class submarines. The answers are not very encouraging – details are still being worked through and apparently everyone is enthusiastic. Meanwhile we learn much more from open sources in the US, such as the importance to them of the costly and risky disposal of those submarines in Australia, by Australians. There is no logic to this and no rationale has been supplied – we are just told it is part and parcel of the deal. Why? The US hasn’t transferred nuclear-powered submarines before – but Russia has, and they took them back for disposal. Basically, the US is imposing on Australia a far worse deal than the one Russia has given to India. Finally some words on how good Defence has become at blame-shifting to industry. To conclude on the most important topic: we found no evidence of Defence personnel conducting orgies at the Indo-Pacific conference, but the investigation will continue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fresh from a holiday in Korea there was an infuriating delay in Sydney getting off the aircraft – which is not unconnected with why Defence is a mess. Then one of the most extraordinary stories about the selective use of information and how it is that we are paying the US not $3 billion to join AUKUS – but in fact $4.7 billion. This huge difference has come about because Australian decision makers have been deceptive about which currency this payment will be made in. It turns out that it won’t be in Australian dollars but instead in US bills, leading to a necessary extra $1.7 billion which has been hidden from the Australian public. In addition we agree, surprisingly, with Alexander Downer that the idea of building nuclear-powered submarines in Adelaide is pure fantasy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Special bonus holiday podcast from Korea – and it’s free.Firstly, just a bit of tidying up around the ADEX show. Then a quick word about the situation following the Hamas October 7 terrorist attack on Israel. Following that, a contrast between two approaches to developing a submarine-building ecosystem. Australia and South Korea both started down the same path in the mid-1980s – and very importantly, with similar Defence budgets. Korea now has 22 submarines of three different generations – with the latest arguably the most advanced in the world. Australia has six ageing Collins class – so which country has got it right? Finally another quick word on the need to dispose of nuclear submarines in Australia – who says we have to? Why? Where is the international rulebook on nuclear submarine disposal that mandates the country buying them also has to get rid of them? It’s just made up nonsense. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greetings from Seoul, the capital of South Korea. We are covering the ADEX defence equipment show that includes a huge amount of high technology gear – some of it like the Redback IFV and Huntsman SPH already known to Australians. The company Hanwha Ocean have reaffirmed their interest in supplying Australia with an air-independent conventional submarine that has lithium ion batteries, a fuel cell and vertical launch missile system. Larger than Collins, it can remain submerged and totally undetectable for more than 20 days in a row. We explain how this all came about through the Korean economic miracle that started in the 1960s and has not slowed down. Finally a rumour so absurd that it is hard to believe. It has been suggested that at the forthcoming Indo-Pacific conference in Sydney, members of the ADF will be banned from attending meetings with industry held in rooms and must instead remain publicly visible the entire time. This is presumably from a fear that if they go into a private space they will uncontrollably remove their uniforms and stage an orgy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The dominant security issue in the western world is the attack by Hamas terrorists on southern Israel on October 7. Emotions are still exceptionally raw and there are limits to analysis at this point in an ongoing crisis. More than 2,000 innocent lives have already been lost – some in ways that bring back memories of the worst days of Islamic State. The response needs to be in a way that minimises further loss of civilian life, though the signs are not good. Was it an intelligence failure? It’s too early to tell – perhaps it was but tragically sometimes politicians have a tendency only to accept the advice that they want. Then - why don’t we lease nuclear-powered submarines rather than by them? And a final word about Taipan helicopters with the ADF now suppressing all information about the Talisman Sabre crash, which apparently shows that the helicopter was not to blame. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Retiring the Taipan helicopters in 2025 was always a very bad idea – and now the decision never to return them to service is completely irrational. In making the announcement Defence Minister Richard Marles said this would cause a major capability gap – so why do it? The lack of interest in trying to understand the availability problem is stunning – and it’s an example of how poor decision-making has become when it relates to Defence. More than 500 of these helicopters are in service around the world. Italy has about 120 and has deployed them successfully to Afghanistan. At the other end of the scale, New Zealand has achieved the highest availability rate in the world for their 8 Taipans. Also we continue the imaginary conversation with Lloyd Austin about AUKUS and some of the idiotic features of the deal that Australia urgently needs to renegotiate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canberra has been abuzz with the Pezzullo Affair, but it might not be of interest more broadly – so let’s examine why it matters. It goes to the heart of how Australia is run and how the cult of secrecy – particularly surrounding anything to do with Defence and national security - is having such a corrosive effect. Also, why hasn’t our embassy in Kiev reopened? It matters because that is an international embarrassment. Finally, just in the last few days there’s further clear evidence of China’s regional ambitions. In response we are doing…..nothing. However, there are a few simple responses available. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can go slightly further than last time and say it is the intention of the ADF never to fly Taipan helicopters again – they will sit on the ground until they are disposed of. Who is taking these decisions when the helicopters are fine to fly and we have potentially a horror bushfire season to come? Is anyone in charge? Speaking of which, why is the Government’s response to the RAN surface ship review pushed out until early next year? It can’t be that difficult. Also it seems that the second hand Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines we might receive will have to be disposed of in Australia at huge cost and risk because our leaders lack the spine to ask the US to reconsider. This sort of automatic deference does Australia no good and is embarrassing on the world stage. If our own Minister won’t do it out of fear, ask Malcolm Turnbull to make the call on your behalf. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start off with a positive story about Australian defence technology making a difference in Ukraine – including a drone attack on a Russian Air Force Base using a product from a Melbourne company. But there’s more – Canberra-based EOS is also supplying short range air defence systems using 30mm Bushmaster cannons that will be extremely effective against airborne targets and which can be used in a land attack role as well. Cheap, rugged and deadly – so why isn’t the ADF investing in these sorts of anti-drone technologies? And a new source of information about the Hunter class frigate program in the form of the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit. Defence has some serious questions to answer. Finally, we start to take a detailed look at Army’s Tiger and Taipan helicopters. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The culture of secrecy is starting to crack with the Senate ordering Defence to release VIP flight details. Next, the main Australian supporters of nuclear powered submarines – the Prime Minister and his Deputy – could both lose their jobs, and that’s not a joke. In the US, legislation necessary for the sale of submarines is stuck in the Senate for the good reason that US needs come first. Next, some analysis of the recent 60 Minutes segment about the Virginia class – and while not bad it still left out very significant matters, such as why were are getting second hand platforms. Finally, a plug for conventional submarines equipped with air independent propulsion – we could have 12 of those built in Australia and a Brisbane-Sydney- Melbourne very fast train for $368 billion with work starting in 2025, not 2040. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What is the minimum number of nuclear-powered submarines you need for a viable capability? At the moment all 6 UK SSNs are tied up at Faslane. The outcome of AIR 6500 Phase 1 has been decided – and Lockheed Marin are the worthy winner. However, this seems contrary to the DSR recommendation in favour of an off-the-shelf solution, so what else will be ignored? Is MQ-28A Ghost Bat under threat? Then the story of how big, brave RAAF officers at a basic flying training school in Tamworth locked their doors and hid under their desks rather than speak with three visiting Australian journalists. By comparison, senior US government and military figures routinely make themselves available to the media – and we learn far more from them than from our own people about what the heck is actually going on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start by looking at some recent missile purchase announcements – but wait; haven’t we heard all of this before? Next, to the ALP conference and the implied insult that anyone who questions AUKUS is unpatriotic. We dig into the chant that building nuclear powered submarines will mean 20,000 highly paid union jobs – but in which century? It was always the case that the Collins class would be replaced by more submarines involving well paid union jobs, just a matter of what those jobs would be and when they will become available. Finally we look at the cult-like thinking that is now deeply embedded in AUKUS and check whether it is about submarines or instead just a comforting return to the Anglosphere where other countries do the work for us. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

By the standards of Defence a $1.8 million 12-month contract with Deloitte is just a blip but it’s illustrative of money being sprayed around. We also have a quick look at AIR 6500 – and maybe what the DSR had in mind was something completely different from what I originally thought. Maybe the hint they are giving is to look at expanding LAND 19 Phase 7 and adding on the David’s Sling missile from Israel. We have a look at some false claims and exaggerations from Defence and ask can’t we do better when it comes to the local manufacture of guided weapons. Finally – who invented the printing press? You might be very surprised by the answer – and it has implications for improving Australia’s security. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A key figure in Australia’s military landscape is Professor Tanya Monro, the Head of the Defence Science and Technology Group. We sought her views about the importance of National Science Week and why Defence is keen to attract the best and brightest young minds to its ranks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we look at some of the politics around Defence – and especially the AUKUS part of it. In Australia we have effectively two part-time Ministers responsible for a massive and troubled portfolio and it raises questions about whether the government has the appetite for, or the ability to carry out, reforms and improvements. Even if the nuclear-powered task force has a plan to acquire second-hand Virginia class submarines that doesn’t guarantee success – history is full of failed military plans. Unfortunately, AUKUS is developing a cult-like atmosphere where only believers in the plan are included in discussions, which is a recipe for disaster. We might be looking at a combination of another Donald Trump Presidency and a minority ALP government – just imagine the consequences of that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we have a quick look at the perils of helicopter operations, particularly at low level and at night. Then there was the next round of AUSMIN talks and the usual Australian forelock tugging. If the US was really our friend they would offer several things: new Virginia class submarines instead of used; a refund of our $3 billion subsidy to their shipbuilding sector; and an agreement to take submarines back for disposal at the end of their lives. We also have a look at the future of SEA 1100 and the suggestion from prime contractor Luerssen to transition from building Arafura class offshore patrol vessels to heavily armed corvettes – something that could be managed quickly and with relative ease. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some breaking news: a decision on Land 400 Phase 3 is imminent. Then we look at the Nuclear-powered submarine taskforce and the role of ex-Human Services departmental head Kathryn Campbell. We offer some guidance to the Prime Minister: review all of the advice that has come from that task force very, very carefully. Either you are being misled – or if you know the full facts then the Australian people are being misled, you can’t have it both ways. And a quick look at the situation in the US with the Virginia class submarine program. It’s turning into a maintenance nightmare with 18 of them currently either being worked on or tied up waiting for their turn. How do we know this? Because we have the words of RADM Jonathan Rucker, Program Executive Officer, Attack Submarines (PEO SSN). You see, in the US their citizens have the right to know what is happening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We start with some corrections and clarifications and then look at the Robodebt Royal Commission and ask: are there implications for Defence? There may well be. The Royal Commission exposed many examples of misleading advice being provided to government – and then politicians being complicit in going along with a scheme that was illegal.  Defence has not been sending out debt notices to poor people, but it has been pushing multi-billion dollar acquisitions for which there has been almost no public discussion about how and why such large amounts are being spent. We run through some projects that appear to lack justification – at least as far of the public are concerned. And on the export of 8x8 Boxer vehicles to Germany, that is good news but please dial down the hype and exaggeration – it’s not the largest export order that Australian industry has ever won. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When does clever marketing cross over into something more nasty – namely the selective or misleading use of information? When you are the UK trying to sell a warship to Australia, that’s when. We detail some of the shenanigans behind that one and ask how is it possible to fool of the experts in the RAN and Defence. Next is the failure to transfer Hawkei vehicles to Ukraine – and the reasons given to the Australian public for the lack of action do not stand up to scrutiny. Finally when we said the situation with the SURTASS purchase could not be any worse than we thought – yes it can be. It turns out that the RAN had more than generic information from Australian underwater technology companies – they had at least one roadmap for doing the work locally. Instead $309 million is going to the US – and the system being purchased is obsolete and will need a specialised ship to operate it successfully. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More information has come to light on two topics of great interest: nuclear-powered submarines and the very strange purchase of SURTASS.In linked decisions of enormous consequence – taken with zero public debate or discussion – we are apparently buying two second-hand Virginia class submarines and, if that isn’t bad enough, are disposing of them in Australia. Decommissioning a nuclear submarine is very expensive, highly dangerous and complex. Australia will have to start building a massive facility soon, which will need to be guarded for decades to come. On SURTASS, this is looking worse by the day. Defence says it has ruled out Australian industry because of an RFI process. The problem with that is that the information collected is not much better than company brochures and cannot be the basis of a serious decision, so there’s something weird going on – perhaps connected with AUKUS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some more information has come from the US about the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine acquisition – and it’s no wonder the information is being suppressed in Australia. We will receive nothing tangible for the $3 billion we are donating to the US – it will just add to the profitability of companies that are already doing very well. Who in Defence and government agrees to these things? What is the possible justification? And sorry – we will only receive second-hand Virginia class submarines when the construction of new ones exceeds the needs of the USN, which will take a while. After that, we start to examine the Hunter class frigate program and why Australia is paying so much for so little. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enough about the budget and DSR already! Now it’s time to have a look at AUKUS and acquiring nuclear-powered submarines – and it should surprise no one to learn that we are not being told the full story; not even close. Also a conversation with a retired USN Admiral so that people can understand what the Americans really think about Australia – and a warning, it’s not flattering. Finally and briefly, we look at an earlier FMS rip-off of Australia: the C27J purchase. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: It’s worse than we thought. The government has confirmed that Defence expenditure will decline for the next two to three years – and there’s a lot of cutting and reprioritising to come. We also discuss the perverse financial incentive for the Department to balance its books by purchasing as much as possible from overseas rather than using Australian suppliers. We conclude with a summary of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore and the openness of many other countries when it comes to discussing national security. The current Australian obsession with secrecy is damaging the national interest and has to stop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looming Defence Budget disaster – in this episode, we look at the analysis of the recent Defence Budget by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), which it calls “The Big Squeeze”. The numbers don’t lie and for the next two to three years Defence will actually lose money – and the situation is even worse than it looks because of inflation. This will almost certainly see a further reduction in Australian industry content – completely the opposite of what the Federal government is telling us. We have a bit more to say on the ridiculous FMS purchase of SURTASS – and just for a bit of balance we also name and shame an industry miscreant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we continue to look at the Defence Strategic Review, which is not at all the radical policy shift that many of its boosters claim. On the contrary, in many cases Australia is simply catching up with the rest of the world – for example with the belated planned acquisition of rocket artillery. Also the DSR authors seem to lack an understanding of how the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system actually works. Australia might want to receive more U.S. systems and get them faster, but several production lines are already at maximum capacity and resupplying eastern Europe to deter Russia is likely to be a higher priority for Washington. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Defence is one of the most consequential activities for any government. Securing the future of the nation and the lives of its citizens is about as important as it gets. To that end, Australia spends about $50 billion per year on the Australian Defence Force which is about 2% of GDP. Despite that, it doesn’t get as much in depth coverage as it should and taxpayers are left largely in the dark about where their money is going and how well it is being spent. There is no reason for this veil of secrecy and APDR seeks better inform people about what is going on – the good, the bad and the ugly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are producing these podcasts as a way of shedding a bit more light on Defence decisions – particularly acquisitions – because the system has become secretive and taxpayers have a right to know what’s going on. But it’s even worse than that with Defence sometimes putting out information that is misleading and in some cases plain wrong. We discuss the Defence Strategic Review and debunk the claims that it is some sort of radical and positive move. No it is not. We also have a few words about the outrageous decision to purchase the SURTASS towed array sonar via FMS and preview the ANAO report into the Hunter class frigate program.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.