Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

These podcasts are 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.

Asia Pacific Defence Reporter is a government podcast hosted by APDR, with 160 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

APDR hosts Asia Pacific Defence Reporter, a government show with 160 episodes published.

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  Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

  Episode 156

  Oct 5, 202620 min

  We start with some words about delayed flights in Australia and how this is a metaphor for obscure Defence decision-making, especially on subjects like AUKUS. Nuclear-powered submarines are great for travelling long distances at high speed underwater but there has never been any analysis of how this benefits Australia - particularly for the gigantic amounts of money involved. Then some more words about Ukraine and the use of AI-enabled uncrewed systems. Ukrainian forces have completed - or are just about to complete - a 4-phase offensive that has regained significant amounts of territory illegally occupied by Russia - and has continued to inflict around 1,500 casualties per day. The key enabler for this operation has been the use of uncrewed ground vehicles - a clear indication of how rapidly the nature of warfare is changing. Australia remains completely oblivious to what is going on, treating uncrewed technology as a curiosity rather than a fundamental game-changer. Even the US has woken up to this with comic book character Pete Hegseth announcing that an autonomous warfare command will be established. This is accompanied by a 120 day review into the entire future of warfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

  Episode 155

  Sep 28, 202620 min

  A lot has been happening on the international scene with Australia's PM Anthony Albanese at the United Nations in New York partly to lobby for one of the rotating seats on the Security Council. It's not clear how much support Australia will receive since we are in the process of converting ourselves into one giant US military base. Donald Trump has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and in addition appears to have abandoned his Middle Eastern allies, especially Saudi Arabia. On top of that, the western world seems to be melting down on the issue of whether or not Artificial Intelligence needs to be regulated. AI is already being used extensively by many militaries, including Australia. Various tests demonstrated a decade ago that AI-enabled platforms such as F-16s could defeat ones flown by humans, so why has the uptake been so slow? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

  Episode 154

  Sep 21, 202620 min

  We begin with another Defence procurement farce. Two years ago Defence abandoned a project called JP 9102 for geostationary military communications satellites with Minister Richard Marles explaining that they were too vulnerable and of insufficient capability. In an extraordinary development, Defence has just issued a tender for a satellite very similar to the one they cancelled. The problem is that we have missed at least 3 years acquiring a vital capability - and Australian industry lost more than $300 million because of the ineptitude of Defence. The Middle East continues to unravel with Donald Trump now seeking to blame Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure for high US diesel prices rather than his own stupid unprovoked war with Iran. At least Ukraine is hitting back with massive drone and ballistic missile attacks on Russia. This is demonstrating the future of warfare - mass attacks from these systems. Only now is the full extent of the damage Iran has caused to US facilities using similar weapons in the Persian Gulf region being revealed. It looks very much like Trump is abandoning US allies in the Middle East - especially Saudi Arabia. The Saudis and the Gulf monarchies believed that the US could be counted on as their security guarantor. The reality is that Trump is throwing them under the bus. Why do Australian politicians and Defence officials think we are any different? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

  Episode 153

  Sep 14, 202621 min

  In a breaking story, there is very credible reporting that the UK has deferred placing an order for future attack submarines - SSN AUKUS - until 2028. This is directly contrary to what we are being told by our government, the RAN and Defence officials. We are in the process of donating $5 billion to the UK industrial base to build submarines that haven't even been ordered. The situation in the US is no different with the Government Accounting Office - their equivalent of the ANAO - reporting on 27 August that the SSN maintenance and disposal system is a huge mess, years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. Just like the situation in the UK, we are being lied to. We are being told that US SSN maintenance is improving when in fact it is getting worse. Speaking of getting worse - the situation in the Middle East risks spiralling completely out of control. The Houthis in Yemen now control the critical passage between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and are threatening Saudi shipping. After the US midterms in November - if they go ahead - President Trump will have a free hand and might decide to escalate the conflict, with unforeseeable consequences. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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  Asia Pacific Defence Reporter

  Episode 152

  Sep 7, 202620 min

  As the United States continues to isolate itself, the rest of the world is starting a process of realignment - with the exception of Australia, of course. More information is becoming available about how we are being turned into a giant US military base, without any public discussion. At the same time, several opinion polls are showing that even though the alliance with the US remains vital in the minds of a majority of Australians, the pattern is shifting decisively. For those under the age of 35 - the nation's future leaders - the trend is clear: increasing trust in China and decreasing confidence that the US would come to Australia's aid during a conflict. Is this shift reflected in government policy? Of course not, as we rush to further ingratiate ourselves with the flailing Trump administration. Meanwhile, China is also transforming but in an economic sense moving from a manufacturer to a creator and innovator - something APDR witnessed last week as a guest at the Asia Pacific Media Forum in Shenzhen. There could be some powerful lessons for Australia in how small, high technology, AI enabled systems can massively increase self reliance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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