The next year will start to feel the shadow of 2027 — the year by which the US says Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he wants to have the ability to execute an armed takeover of Taiwan.
By Colin ClarkTop defense insights from 2024
A curated look at standout opinions and analysis covering topics like uncrewed systems, NATO partnerships, US-Saudi defense dynamics, and evolving warfare strategies, spotlighting key issues shaping the global defense landscape.
The Chinese military itself wasn’t free from drama, as Beijing cycled through defense ministers and senior officials fell under investigation.
By Colin Clark
Canberra and Washington “have an unparalleled opportunity to fashion broader, stronger, and multilayered partnerships,” writes Evan Feigenbaum of the Carnegie Foundation. “But this, in turn, will require self-reflection, not just cheerleading.”
By Colin Clark
Advanced Navigation said it believes the new sensor system will enable drones “to navigate unlimited distances over land without relying on GPS, and is passive and resistant to interference.”
By Colin Clark
At the same conference, US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell urged the incoming Trump administration to work closely with Australia and New Zealand to counter a “relentless” China and not to turn inward.
By Colin Clark
“If you are a supplier, and your lead time is too long, and you refuse to work with us” on 3D printing alternative spare parts, said Rear Adm. Jon Rucker, “we’re going to figure it out. Not a threat – a fact of life.”
By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.
The three countries are planning “up to six” flight campaigns by 2028.
By Justin Katz
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“We are not out there alone, and we share that with our allies and partners, and they also have some pretty exceptional capabilities,” said Travis Manning, an electronic warfare officer in the Pentagon.
By Carley Welch
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called Trump to offer his congratulations. “We talked about the importance of the Alliance, and the strength of the Australia-US relationship in security, AUKUS, trade and investment,” he said in a tweet.
By Colin Clark
Australia “has been a little bit slow off the mark” in communicating with the public about AUKUS,” Tracey Hanley, one of Australia’s tiny group of nuclear-qualified people, told Breaking Defense at the conference.
By Colin Clark
“If our Collins class SSKs are non-operational in 2024, I really doubt that they will be a credible force through the remainder of this decade, let alone into the next one,” Malcolm Davis, a defense expert at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said.
By Colin Clark
Analyst Andrew Erskine writes that Canada missed a recent opportunity to strengthen military ties in the Pacific – but says its not too late for Ottawa to increase its presence in the region.
By Andrew Erskine
At the higher level of command and control, the allies tested several systems to eventually build what a statement from the US Embassy here called “an AUKUS-wide Common Control System, fusing best elements of the three countries’ existing systems.”
By Colin Clark
In this op-ed, Carlton Haelig of CNAS argues the US needs to shift its priorities away from Europe and the Middle East in order to better focus on the threat of China.
By Carlton Haelig