Lambie slams ex-ADF chief’s Brussels posting
Jacqui Lambie is threatening to roll out a nationwide ad campaign mobilising voters’ support on veterans’ welfare, as she criticises Angus Campbell’s top diplomatic posting.
Defence
Coalition frontbench reshuffle unveiled ahead of election
Opposition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price will take on an extra role as ‘government efficiency’ spokeswoman – evoking Elon Musk’s role under the US Trump administration.
Trump is AUKUS’s last best hope
Trump and his administration are likely to speak kindly of AUKUS. This will be highly deceptive for Australians.
Ex-defence chief lands key posting in Europe
Former defence chief Angus Campbell has been appointed as Australia’s next ambassador to Brussels, in a diplomatic posting that will require all the retired general’s military nous.
PM, Dutton warn Moscow of ‘strongest action possible’ if Australian PoW executed
Peter Dutton and Anthony Albanese present a bipartisan threat of clear and immediate action against the Kremlin if Australian foreign fighter Oscar Jenkins is confirmed to have been executed.
‘Help us unmask the spies among us’
Australians are being encouraged to take a more proactive role in uncovering foreign spies, with intelligence agencies warning that more private citizens and businesses are being targeted than ever before.
Biden lauds AUKUS as key achievement
In his final foreign policy speech, Joe Biden declared the US is ‘winning the worldwide competition’, citing the AUKUS defence pact as a pivotal achievement in countering China’s influence in the Indo-Pacific.
Not quite as bad as Gough but it’s close
The Albanese government provides no rationale or narrative for its disconnected actions. Everything is spin. We’ve seldom seen a government this poor in such critical fields at such a dangerous time.
How AUKUS is creating big waves on the ground
There are billions earmarked to be spent, and this Perth-based engineer is among those on the front lines of a defence revolution.
AUKUS safe port: bipartisan US support amid foreign storm
Leading Democrats and Republicans say the pact is a model for how the US should engage with allies, as Donald Trump entertains using force against friendly nations to expand America’s footprint.
Kennett slams shrine’s ‘commercialisation’
Jeff Kennett says the Shrine of Remembrance’s new commercial deal with catering and events company Peter Rowland Group is ‘totally inappropriate’.
Trump’s land grab raises big questions over AUKUS
Trump’s talk of acquiring Greenland, reclaiming the Panama Canal and campaigning for Canada to become the 51st state raises questions about his attitude to AUKUS.
AUKUS accreditation fail ‘shows Labor lacks commitment’
A lack of properly accredited Australian firms to compete for lucrative AUKUS contracts has been lashed by the Coalition as a proof that Labor lacks ‘commitment and vigour’ to AUKUS.
Local firms ‘not ready’ to chase AUKUS contracts
Australian firms are ill-prepared to compete for lucrative AUKUS submarine contracts with just one having been certified under the globally recognised nuclear safety standard that is expected to be mandated for the program.
Security relies on a bolder course in maritime defences
Despite naval capabilities taking the lion’s share of the nation’s future defence investment, developments have not shifted the needle in the near term to address Australia’s vulnerabilities at sea.
‘Understrength’ reserves to undergo Ukraine-style training
A new approach to preparing the nation’s part-time soldiers would be modelled on a program to train Ukrainian nationals to fight Russian forces, allowing the ADF reserves to ‘rapidly scale’ in the event of a ‘crisis’.
New Orleans terror attack our ‘wake-up call’
Fighting terrorism in Australia in 2025 is more about tackling the cost-of-living crisis and creating meaningful employment than countering a specific terror cell, security experts say.
Apaches may be teamed with armed drones
The Albanese government has signalled the army’s planned $5bn fleet of Apache attack helicopters will be paired with drones, as it pushes back against critics who argue the aircraft could soon become obsolete.
Our capital cities not ready for 9/11-style terror attack
Almost three years after the 9/11 attacks, Australia was still unprepared for a suicide plane attack in its major cities and officials warned of a possible 30-second-only warning in Sydney.
Putin a problem for all: top brass
The nation’s top military officer in London has warned Russia’s use of North Korean and Iranian forces to destroy democratic Ukraine is ‘everyone’s business’ and said Australia’s role is vital.
The gap in preparations for queen’s death
When Brigadier Grant Mason arrived in London, he cast his eye over planning documents to deal with the death of the queen – and immediately realised there was an important gap.
Suppliers hold collective breath over future of AUKUS subs
Uncertainty over the future of the AUKUS pact under the new Trump administration has defence suppliers feeling increasingly sceptical about opportunities from a submarines program.
Prodigious Boxing Day aid cemented key partnership
John Howard knew he had to act quickly to help Indonesia after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami unleashed destruction and terror on Australia’s most important neighbour.
‘Abandoned’: Duggan family blast government over extradition
The family of a former US marine pilot and Australian citizen accused of illegally training Chinese pilots say they are ‘devastated’ by the ‘inhumane’ decision for him to be extradited to the United States.
$5m more pledged in aid to Vanuatu after quake
Australia is sending a 16-person medical assistance team to the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu to support local health services and address critical injuries.
Biden authorises $US571m in more military aid to Taiwan
US President Joe Biden approved $US571.3 million ($914m) in more defence assistance for Taiwan on Friday as the Democrat prepares to leave office next month.
Vanuatu to reopen commercial flights as quake toll reaches 12
Vanuatu authorities will lift a suspension on commercial flights on Sunday to restart its vital tourism industry following an earthquake that killed at least 12 people.
Brereton report’s memorial spot
The refurbished Australian War Memorial will include an exhibit focusing on the one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s military history.
Super probe began two years ago
The Department of Veterans’ Affairs started investigating two years ago whether it had failed to pay up to $50m in superannuation to war trauma psychologists. So why did the minister only find out in the middle of this year?
Marles slams unpaid super scandal
Richard Marles has described as ‘absolutely not acceptable’ the historical underpayment of superannuation to psychologists responsible for counselling soldiers, veterans and their families.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/page/4