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Defence

Yesterday

The next global investing megatrend: war stocks

Governments around the world are ramping up military spending – and fund managers are positioning accordingly.

  • Joshua Peach

This Month

The US Navy Virginia-class submarine USS North Carolina in Fleet Base West, Rockingham, Western Australia.

Senior WA minister airs doubts on AUKUS submarine schedule

WA Defence Industry Minister Paul Papalia believes Australia is likely to receive five US-made nuclear-powered submarines, implying delays in the ones to be built.

  • Andrew Tillett

June

Former US navy secretary Richard Spencer and former treasurer Joe Hockey.

Field of credible buyers small, says Austal’s departing chairman

Former US navy secretary Richard Spencer will become Austal’s chairman, succeeding John Rothwell, amid a stand-off with suitor Hanwha.

  • Brad Thompson
Austal chairman John Rothwell set up the shipbuilder in the late 1980s.

Hanwha settles into Austal cold war as shipbuilder swaps out chairman

The new chairman at ASX-listed shipbuilder Austal also happens to be the chairman of Joe Hockey’s advisory firm Bondi Partners.

  • Updated
  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
China’s actions towards the Philippines are growing more aggressive.

Risk of war with China rising fast, ex-security chief warns

Former Home Affairs Department head Mike Pezzullo wants a new defence production tsar with “superpowers” to shake up how the military acquires weapons.

  • Andrew Tillett
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Defence personnel training with an Integrator drone.

Crash hits army’s multimillion-dollar drone program

An army drone crashed soon after take-off in a test flight after losing communications with operators.

  • Andrew Tillett
In this handout photo provided by Armed Forces of the Philippines, Chinese Coast Guards hold an axe as they approach Philippine troops on a resupply mission in the Second Thomas Shoal at the disputed South China Sea on June 17, 2024.

Warship deployed as China, Philippines clashes raise tensions

The navy has dispatched its most powerful warship to exercise with Asian navies, in a test for improved communications with China to avoid dangerous incidents at sea.

  • Andrew Tillett
Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Putin and Kim sign mutual defence pact

The pact could be a dramatic shift in the strategic balance in Northeast Asia by placing Russia’s heft behind North Korea.

  • Josh Smith and Ju-min Park
As Anthony Albanese attended functions with visiting Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Perth, Australia’s ambassador in the Philippines accused Beijing of “dangerous and illegal actions” in the South China Sea.

Australia criticises China for sea skirmish in sign tensions remain

Improved communications between the Australian and Chinese militaries will not reduce the likelihood of potentially dangerous confrontations, experts warn. 

  • Updated
  • Andrew Tillett
The next wave of capex in Australia will come from a different place than before.

15 ASX stocks that can win from a new capex ‘supercycle’

The twin peaks of population growth and Baby Boomer spending have insulated sharemarket investors against rate hikes. Now a new tailwind is emerging. 

  • James Thomson
Former navy official Tim Brown will head up H&B Australia, a new defence company to support Australia’s nuclear submarine ambitions.

British, US defence giants create AUKUS one-stop shop

A major business deal will create a new Australian military contractor to support the country’s nuclear submarine ambitions.

  • Andrew Tillett
Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Australia-China ties are not ready for AUKUS

It’s no surprise that Li Qiang will head straight to Australia’s mining capital and most pro-Chinese city. But he will bypass the Stirling naval base where US nuclear-powered submarines will arrive.

  • Richard McGregor
There’s a new partner at Azure Capital.

Azure Capital poaches KPMG PE co-lead to set up shop in Melbourne

Nick Combes, a dealmaker with almost two decades of experience, has joined Azure Capital’s partnership ranks.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
The US Navy Virginia-class submarine USS North Carolina in Fleet Base West, Rockingham, Western Australia.

Silence is not golden when it comes to Defence

Defence’s culture of secrecy can sometimes cause more trouble than it’s worth. It became obvious again this week.

  • Andrew Tillett
Israeli Air Force F-35 plane.

Unpicking the war of words on weapons exports to Israel

The opaqueness of Australia’s arms control regime means what the country is actually sending to Israel is largely unknown.

  • Andrew Tillett
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A Chinese fighter jet pilot takes part in military drills around Taiwan.

US, Australia: China ‘aggressively recruiting’ our fighter pilots

The Five Eyes security intelligence partners have accused the People’s Liberation Army of using Western military talent to train its aviators.

  • Updated
  • Julian E. Barnes and Helene Cooper
Frontbencher Jenny McAllister, Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell, and Lieutenant General Natasha Fox, Chief of Personnel, during a Senate estimates hearing at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday.

Low unemployment is hurting the military

Defence will only hit 57 per cent of its recruiting target this year, Australia’s outgoing military chief says.

  • Andrew Tillett
Collins-class submarines won’t be fitted with Tomahawk missiles.

Tomahawk missiles plan for Collins-class submarines misfires

Australia’s ageing submarine fleet won’t be fitted with strike missiles following advice that modifying the boats would not be value for money.

  • Andrew Tillett
Australian soldiers during a training exercise with the Philippines military.

Labor scrambles to end confusion on foreign military recruits

The government has scrambled to clarify that foreigners eligible to join the Defence Force will be limited to just a few countries.

  • Updated
  • Andrew Tillett
This is not doom-mongering; the government has acknowledged that the warning time before any conflict has shrunk.

Defence rhetoric is mismatched with lack of action on investment

If nothing changes and war were to break out at any time in the next 10 years, our military would essentially fight with the force it has today.

  • Justin Bassi

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/topic/defence-5w8