Foreign Affairs and Defence correspondent @FinancialReview Previously in š°š·, š¹š¼, š®š³ for Telegraph/Sunday Times. [email protected]
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How is Australia navigating whatās been repeatedly described as the most complex and threatening strategic environment since the end of World War II? @afrmag spoke to the nationās top defence leadership to find out. Story below:
afr.com/policy/foreign-affaiā¦
Mystery solvedā¦turns out if it walks and talks like an artillery projectile, itās likely not a wine bottle..
U.S. Embassy in Papua New Guinea weighs in on the "is it a wine bottle or artillery" debate.
"An artillery projectile or a wine bottle? The facts matter.
Following the discovery of a suspicious object in a shipping container in Port Moresby, U.S. Department of War personnel directly engaged with the PNG Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit that examined the object.
According to publicly reported PNG police findings, the object was an unexploded Chinese-manufactured artillery projectile containing explosives and a fuse, not simply a wine bottle.
This is a serious public safety matter. Papua New Guineans deserve accurate information and a thorough investigation.
We commend PNG police and defense personnel for their response. The United States stands with Papua New Guinea in protecting its people, security, and sovereignty.
#PNGSecurity
facebook.com/share/p/1DqaWKTā¦
āWe are now in a world where systems like the operational technology that runs the energy grid, or some of our underlying payment systems in the financial sector, were never really designed to be connected to the internet,ā says ASDās Stephanie Crowe
afr.com/politics/federal/ausā¦
Australiaās new chief of army Lt General Susan Coyle this week urged the Defence Force to rapidly adopt cutting-edge technology to prepare for any regional conflict, warning the fallout would be immediate and unavoidable.
afr.com/politics/federal/adfā¦
Australiaās National Audit Office launches probes into $4.3b & $190m contracts awarded to private aviation companies for maritime surveillance to the countryās north after senators raised qus about the tendering process for vital border security services afr.com/politics/federal/audā¦
Australia has emerged as the third-largest target globally for North Korean hackers and ranks 11th overall for the volume and frequency of state-sponsored and criminal cyber intrusions hitting both the public and private sectors, says a new Microsoft rpt
afr.com/politics/federal/ausā¦
Nicola Smith retweeted
Interesting. The idea of a Defence spokesperson has been kicking around Russell and other places for a while (for eg @JAParker29 has advocated for this) but new Army Chief Susan Coyle goes further here, telling the AFR's @niccijsmith it's "certainly" an idea worth considering
Nicola Smith retweeted
Extremely reckless behaviour from CCG again within the Philippines EEZ.
Amazing that the reported loss of life of 2 CCG sailors last year from the collision with PLAN destroyer has not tempered this kind of ship driving within the CCG.
The nationās cyber intelligence chief has warned that training artificial intelligence models on home soil is critical to safeguard national security, but Anthropic says its investment in Australia hinges on the governmentās decisions on copyright.
afr.com/politics/federal/ausā¦
Nicola Smith retweeted
In a sign that US AI giants are worried about the rise of Chinese rivals, @deanwball, head of strategic futures at OpenAI, suggested that the White House might create regulatory risks around the use of open-weight Chinese models.
Ryan Fedasiuk, a fellow for China and technology at @AEIfdp, said the US was likely to adopt a āgradient of regulation,ā as it had done already for sensitive government and military users of DeepSeek.
āThere are other versions of those kinds of bans working their way through state legislatures that would apply specifically to government functions,ā said Fedasiuk.
There were other actions short of bans on Chinese AI systems that the US may consider.
āYou could imagine that the federal government could develop a minimum security benchmark to ensure that models are not easily tampered with or jailbroken, and adopt some kind of incentive structure for labs to comply with,ā he said.
Good to speak with @niccijsmith at @FinancialReview.
afr.com/technology/rogue-ai-ā¦
National security fears were a driving force behind Anthony Albaneseās pivot to a more interventionist approach to artificial intelligence, and cyber experts and the opposition warn that Australia must redouble its efforts to master the technology afr.com/politics/federal/natā¦
Even as Beijingās launch of a nuclear-capable missile shocked the Pacific, experts warn Australia must keep fighting to retain its upper hand in soft power diplomacy afr.com/politics/federal/misā¦
Sometimes I really miss British politics
Count Binface has ruled out a pact with the Official Monster Raving Loony Party as he attempts to unseat Nigel Farage at the Clacton by-election.
āThe fact is, the Loonies and Farage want to fight among themselves for the novelty vote.ā
š: telegraph.co.uk/politics/202ā¦
Beijingās decision to test in the Pacific rather than within China was a āsignificantā change in posture - @JAParker29
āMissile firings are a way of, yes, testing the capability but, two, demonstrating that capability and sending a signal.ā
Always good to chat with @niccijsmith from the @FinancialReview. We discussed the #PLAN SLBM launch & its implications for the region š
afr.com/politics/federal/ausā¦
@DefenceUwa @LowyInstitute @NSC_ANU
Australia, New Zealand and Japan have denounced Chinaās test launch of a long-range ballistic missile carrying a dummy warhead from a nuclear-powered submarine into the Pacific, with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong describing it as destabilising afr.com/politics/federal/ausā¦
Restaurant predict an industry bloodbath and warned of a sharp increase in menu prices as the besieged hospitality sector struggles to pay for a 4.75 per cent award wage rise on top of existing economic pressures and the fallout from the Middle East war.
afr.com/politics/federal/priā¦
Data centres in Australia say the introduction of tougher penalties and tighter supply chain checks by the govt to beef up national security obligations could deter AI investment, but experts say they must do more to protect critical national assets.
afr.com/politics/federal/natā¦
