ASPI News

Rising alarm for troops

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on the situation of Australian troops in Afghanistan. Raspal Khosa said Australian special forces provided security for coalition reconstruction activities in Oruzgan.

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Raspal Khosa said he believes Australia is making headway as part of an international team of soldiers in a report on Afghanistan.

Digger dies in bomb blast

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Australian troops in Afghanistan. Raspal Khosa said the annual summer campaign season was well underway and Australian troops were operating in Taliban territory.

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Australian troops are resolved to locate Taliban bomb makers. Raspal Khosa says we’re seeing heightened activity that hasn’t yet been seen in Afghanistan.

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Raspal Khosa discusses the war in Afghanistan. Raspal notes the increasing number of attacks in Afghanistan and says there are too few personnel in-country to really effect change.

Deterrence must always be the name of the game

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Rod Lyon on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament.

Defence in need of new subs: report

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Strategic Insights Asian military trends and their implications for Australia. Author Andrew Davies said to be more effective in combat operations in the future, Australia should move towards a larger fleet of submarines that have anti-shipping and land strike capabilities.

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Andrew Davies said talk of an Asian arms race is too simplistic and the power balance is changing.

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Andrew Davies, author of Asian military trends and their implications for Australia, said there is little evidence to suggest there is a military arms race taking place.

Sea defences are sub-standard: paper

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Strategic Insights Asian military trends and their implications for Australia. The paper, authored by Andrew Davies, warns Australia needs more submarines and fewer vulnerable surface warships.

Australia needs more submarines, less ships: study

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on paper by Andrew Davies Asian military trends and their implications for Australia which says the air force is well placed to meet regional challenges but the ADF was not well equipped to deal with the proliferation of modern submarines in the region.

US ties could lead to conflict

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Asian military trends and their implications for Australia by Andrew Davies which says if tensions between the US and China boiled over, Australia could be drawn into conflict.

Navy in need of a boost

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Australia’s military in the future needs more submarines and fewer vunerable surface warships as outlined in Asian military trends and their implications for Australia. Author Andrew Davies said the air force was well placed to meet regional challenges but the naval force has no clear-cut advantage.

It takes two to do the trade tango

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin who says we need as open an investment culture as we can achieve. But that should not be at the expense of our national security and national interest.

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

ASPI’s Global Forces 2008 conference speaker Andrew Davies said Australia’s military advantage in the Asia-Pacific is coming to an end. Australia needs to rethink its military structure with more effort and spending towards submarines rather than surface ships.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Bulletin on ASPI report Neighbourhood watch: The evolving terrorist threat in Southeast Asia which estimates JI has a membership of approximately 900 militants.

Release of ASPI Strategy Report - Neighbourhood watch: The evolving terrorist threat in Southeast Asia

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report on how the Southeast Asian terrorist threat might evolve in the future.

The report was launched by Attorney-General The Hon Robert McClelland MP, at Parliament House. In his speech, the Minister welcomed the publication of the report and said it help Australians better understand the critical challenges faced by our country, and by countries in Southeast Asia.

The regional terrorist threat remains high on the list of Australia's national security priorities. It is time to take stock of the regional security environment and to ask how the Southeast Asian terrorist threat might evolve in the future.

This report, authored by Peter Chalk and Carl Ungerer, analyses the changing nature of religious militancy and sets out a framework for understanding the forces and trends that are driving jihadist extremism in the region.

A number of policy recommendations are made on the appropriate next steps in Australia's regional counter-terrorism strategy including leading a diplomatic campaign to ensure compliance with international counter-terrorism conventions.

At the launch, author Dr Carl Ungerer said despite the absence of a major bombing campaign in Southeast Asia since 2005, the regional terrorist threat remains real and requires constant vigilance and monitoring.

(ENDS)

A neighbourhood watch is still vital

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Carl Ungerer on the evolution of terrorist threats in Southeast Asia argues that although Jemaah Islamiyah and other terrorist organisations have failed to construct a single zone of ideological convergence throughout the region, the threat of terrorism remains multifaceted and real.

US Air Force review could cost Australia

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The cost of upgrading Australia’s future fleet of aerial refuelling tanker after the US moved towards handing back a contract to Boeing could increase the cost however Andrew Davies said if Boeing won the contract it shouldn’t impact on the current Australian deal.

Release of Strategic Insights - Policing our ocean domain: Establishing an Australian coast guard

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report recommending Australia establish a coast guard.

The report, written by Derek Woolner, calls for the establishment of a statutory authority, the Australian Coast Guard, out of the current Border Protection Command to be directly responsible to a Minister for the assessment of intelligence, planning and implementation of operations and future improvements to maritime border security.

‘For almost four decades Australia has had great difficulty in deciding how to police the vast areas of sea to which it claims sovereign rights. There have been significant improvements in the last two years but there is nothing in place to make these permanent or to fully support approaches to getting further improvements’, said author Derek Woolner.

Currently the authority of Border Protection Command rests on directives issued by the CEO of the Australian Customs Service and the Chief of the Defence Force. The reforms proposed in the report would replace the previous appointed committees created when failure occurs and put in their place a professional organisation able to anticipate problems and operate as Australia’s national maritime police.

By developing a central organisation for civil maritime security, the Government would widen the options for developing the nation's maritime expertise through personnel training, capacity available for maritime research, cooperation with regional coastguards and development of plans for the use of Coast Guard capabilities in time of conflict.

‘Australia’s maritime security was not discussed at the 2020 Summit, yet the very next day Australia accepted sovereign rights over an additional 2.5 million square kilometres of ocean. This puts Australia up with the top maritime nations in the world. It is time that we acknowledged this with arrangements allowing us to control events that happen in our own maritime backyard’, says Woolner.

(ENDS)

Whatever you do in Japan, Mr Rudd, don't mention the whales

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin that argues that Kevin Rudd would be well advised to play down the emotional issue of whaling and focus on broader aspects of the bilateral relationship.

Release The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence Budget Brief 2008-09

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute today released The Cost of Defence: ASPI Defence Budget Brief 2008-09.

This document has been written to give readers greater access to the complex workings of the Defence budget and to promote informed debate on defence budget issues.

In releasing the document, ASPI Defence Analyst Mark Thomson said:

Defence is not short of money at the moment. Not only will they hand back $812 million of unspent funds this year, but they’ll receive an extra $939 million in price indexation for next year. This explains why they’ve been told to absorb around $1 billion of operational deployment costs in 2008-09.

Nonetheless, the Defence budget will still exceed $22 billion next year representing 1.8% of GDP.

Deployment costs continue to mount. Over the next three years, a further $702 million will be spent in Afghanistan and $268 million in Iraq, which will bring the accumulated cost in these two theatres to $2.1 billion and $2.3 billion respectively.

For the long term, the government extended 3% real growth in the Defence budget from 2016 to 2018.

Unfortunately, Defence’s long-troubled acquisition program again looks to be faltering. Another $2.3 billion of planned investment in new equipment was deferred in the budget.

In a sign that recent personnel initiatives are making a difference, the permanent defence force has grown for the second year in a row, after having fallen across the preceding three years. Over the next four years the force is planned to grow from just over 53,000 to around 57,500.

Despite the present healthy budget situation, Defence is likely to need more money to deliver the plans presently in place for the defence force. For this reason, the recently announced decade-long $10 billion internal savings program is critical.

But even for a colossus like Defence $1 billion a year is a lot of money. To free up this much money will demand root and branch reform to how Defence goes about its business.

(ENDS)

Release of ASPI Strategy Report - Seeing Indonesia as a normal country: Implications for Australia

Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report on Indonesia, examining the country’s political and economic evolution since the Soeharto era and the implications for Australia.

The report was launched by The Hon Stephen Smith MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs, at Parliament House. In his speech, the Minister welcomed the publication of the report and said it will do much to help Australians better understand the very special nature of the connection between Australia and Indonesia.

‘This report helps inform the Australian public about important and fascinating changes that have occurred in Indonesia and it provides very thoughtful insights into future directions for our bilateral cooperation’.

The report, authored by Professor Andrew MacIntyre and Dr Douglas E Ramage, urges Australia to understand the more stable landscape of Indonesia. It makes a number of specific policy recommendations including:

a new approach to engagement with the military
a geographic shift within the country of our development assistance programs
a renewed emphasis on supporting economic growth, poverty reduction and enhancing governance at the national and sub-national levels.

‘Indonesia in 2008 is a stable, competitive electoral democracy…playing a constructive role in the regional and broader international community’.

(ENDS)

Recent human catastrophes are in the world spotlight.....but are we ready for one?

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on catastrophic disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis could leave Australia flagging because of a lack of preparedness as outlined in ASPI Strategic Insights Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia by Anthony Bergin and David Templeman. A key concern from the report is the importance of having a single-incident management system for command and control of emergencies.

Strengthening Australia’s success in Afghanistan

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Release of ASPI Strategic Insight Making it count: Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report on Australia’s commitment in Afghanistan. The report, written by ASPI Research Fellow Raspal Khosa, argues Australia’s security interests are tied to the success of the International Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will become the main focus of Australian Defence Force Operations supporting Australia’s wider interests over the next year. Recently the Australian Government announced it will commit $619 million in 2008–2009 to Operation Slipper: Australia’s contribution to the ISAF armed state-building mission in Afghanistan.

The report makes three key recommendations on how Australia’s commitment in Afghanistan can increase its effectiveness:

focus on security sector reform by training competent Afghan security forces
improve reconstruction and development efforts through better coordination of civil and military resources
engage with Pakistan to contain cross-border insurgent activity.

Author Raspal Khosa contends the only way to expedite our withdrawal and protect our interests is to work towards a sustainable, democratic and secure Afghanistan.

(ENDS)

Call for tank fleet upgrade

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on the Australian Army’s next fleet of armoured mobility vehicles and the present lack of funding available to purchase them as outlined in ASPI Policy Analysis ADF capability review: Australian Army. The report found present funding is inadequate to replace the existing feet and co-author Andrew Davies said we’ll either end up with a vehicle that doesn’t offer the protection against modern threats or have to pay more or purchase fewer vehicles.

Quotes of the week

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

‘If we did have a devastating tsunami that hit our east coast, it’s not clear who’s in charge’ – Dr Anthony Bergin of Australian Strategic Policy Institute, on Australia’s preparedness for a major disaster.

What a week

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Week in brief: In Australia, ASPI report ‘Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia’ finds Australia has more to dear from natural disasters than a terrorist attack. The report says Australia is not well placed to deal with a major natural disaster.

Australia ill-prepared for disasters: report

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Climate change will bring more major natural disasters such as super cyclones and Australia is unprepared to deal with them. The ASPI report Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia, found Australia lacked an appropriate national information and warning system capable of being used in the lead-up to and during recovery of a disaster.

Australia needs to bounce back from both terrorism and natural disasters

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Release of ASPI Strategic Insight Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new report on how Australia can bounce back from all hazards, not just terrorism. The report is written by the former Director General of Emergency Management Australia, David Templeman and ASPI’s Research Director, Anthony Bergin. The paper recommends a number of specific measures to build a more resilient Australia including:

amalgamate our national counter-terrorism and emergency management protection arrangements into one structure

create a national community information and disaster warning system

factor climate change into emergency planning

examine if disaster response by our military ought to be regarded as a core mission and what this might mean for selecting equipment and dispersal of military assets around Australia

undertake realistic testing of our health assets in mass casualty disasters

draw large business suppliers of goods and services much more into emergency planning

introduce a program that provides some assistance with personal costs or childcare support to emergency volunteers and a national scheme to assist employers of emergency workers, so they might receive compensation if they face difficulties in releasing employees to undertake emergency duty

incorporate robustness and alternative supply options in design as part of the selection criteria for infrastructure projects by the Rudd Government’s new advisory body, Infrastructure Australia

designate the ABC as the approved national emergency broadcaster with the ability to interrupt immediately any program to provide community advice on any aspect of a likely or resultant disaster

encourage schools and communities to plan on how they would cope without essentials and for how long. Supermarket check-outs could provide customers with a pantry list of products and food items people should stock in anticipation of a need. And we should invest in basic first aid training for all Year Five school children

(ENDS)

Aust not ready to cope with ‘big one’

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony Bergin discusses the funding put into consequence management as he believes Australia hasn’t begun to seriously consider the consequences of the impact of a catastrophic natural disaster as outlined in Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia.

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony Bergin discusses the funding for natural disaster preparedness as discussed in ASPI report Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia.

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony Bergin discusses that it is not clear in the event of a major natural disaster what the precise coordination arrangements are as outlined in ASPI report Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia.

Natural disaster readiness lacking

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The fight against terrorism has diverted attention away from the more likely events of catastrophic natural disasters. The report Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia makes a bleak assessment of Australia’s ability to manage a major disaster.

Unready for the big one

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The report Taking a punch: Building a more resilient Australia says new national structures need to be put in place to coordinate responses to large-scale natural disasters. Authors Anthony Bergin and David Templeman said examples might include a major earthquake, tsunami, flooding and storms.

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Carl Ungerer discusses the key threats to national security and risks that should be included in a National Security Strategic Statement to be announced by the government later this year.

Syria risk ‘a priority’ for diplomacy

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Article on Australia’s opportunity to help address the risk of nuclear, chemical and biological weapon proliferation in Syria as outlined in ASPI Policy Analysis Proliferation central: Syria's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons by Carl Ungerer. The report says Syria is among the world’s least understood proliferation risks.

Syria issue must be a priority one

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Carl Ungerer discussing dealing with Syria’s nuclear and chemical objectives should be a priority after recent revelations of Syrian efforts to acquire nuclear weapons.

Push for another 1500 Diggers in Afghanistan

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Australia would need to deploy an additional 1500 troops if Australia took over from the Dutch in Afghanistan. Raspal Khosa said the government had some hard decisions ahead if the Dutch withdraws from Oruzgan by 2010.

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Anthony Bergin, along with other interviewees, discusses the United Nation’s agreement to extend Australia’s sea territory by 2.5 million kilometres along the continental shelf. This will allow Australia to utilise natural resources on and under the seabed.

Sale of $700m ASC stake stalls

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The sale of a 49% stake in the government owned Australian Submarine Corporation was be postposed amid fears the global equity squeeze will limit the scope of potential buyers and reduce the asking price. Andrew Davies has also highlighted foreign government concerns related to intellectual property rights for the Collins class submarines. The property rights concerns could pose ‘a very real issue for the sale’.

Uni draws more fire over Saudi cash

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Universities attempts to justify accepting large donations from foreign governments by similar arrangements with British and American universities have been undermined by overseas authorities examining the growing influence of donors on tertiary institutions. Anthony Bergin said local national security agencies were closely monitoring foreign funds being channelled into Australian universities.

First we must explore, then exploit

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin on the expansion of Australia’s seabed limits. Anthony argues the expanded area requires more strategic thinking about the potential opportunities for exploration, research and resource extraction.

A new agenda for national security

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Release of ASPI Special Report

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) today released a new Special Report on Australia’s national security. Defining national security priorities in the current international environment is a complicated task. National security concepts that focus on military threats and responses are no longer sufficient to deal with the range of security risks that Australia faces in this new environment. This paper addresses four critical questions highlighting the key challenges for the Australian Government as it seeks to implement a national security agenda:

What is the definition of national security?
Why do emerging security issues such as organised crime, pandemic diseases and climate change pose a national security risk?
How have other countries such as Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom approached national security planning?
What bureaucratic changes are necessary in Australia in order to deal with the contemporary security environment?

In answering these questions, the paper puts forward a number of recommendations including the publication of an annual security risk assessment and the creation of a single national security budget to be administered by the new Office of National Security. Author Dr Carl Ungerer says ‘At its core, the concept of a national security policy requires governments to think about three interrelated questions; the trajectory of the international and domestic security environment and its implications for the modern democratic state; judgements about the likely probability and consequences of events across the emerging threat spectrum; and the range and combination of policy instruments needed to meet those risks today and into the future’.

(ENDS)

When our oceans turn sour

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion piece by Anthony Bergin and Ross Allen who argue that the government should take a leadership role in managing the waters in our region by addressing the problem of Ocean Acidification.

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Carl Ungerer discusses the effect on Australian interests of terrorism.

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Carl Ungerer discusses the Prime Minister's political agenda which is taking Australian interests on the world stage.

Far-sighted effort to tame the air-sea gap

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Andrew Davies says the defence of Australia’s coastline and the need for surveillance of that area is performed through surveillance and response. Surveillance is done through Australia’s unique radar system and the unmanned part of the program is fought for by a number of companies.

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Minister for Foreign Affairs The Hon Stephen Smith MP spoke on 'A modern Australia for a new era' at the ASPI-Thales National Security Dinner, held at the Hilton Hotel in Sydney.

The Minister's complete speech can be viewed here.