Latest news with #AustralianArmy
ABC News
3 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Ukraine drone attack a wake-up call for Australia
Samantha Donovan: Mick Ryan is a retired Australian Army Major General and a Senior Fellow for Military Studies at the Lowy Institute. I asked him why this Ukrainian drone attack on Russian military bases is so significant. Mick Ryan: What it shows is that small and medium-sized countries can launch long-range strikes deep inside superpowers or major powers and hurt them. This is a fairly significant strike that was conducted with fairly cheap off-the-shelf componentry. Samantha Donovan: Does it signal a change in the way warfare is conducted? Mick Ryan: Well, it signals an evolution in how vulnerable military bases are in our home countries. It shows that we're no longer safe in our home countries and that anyone can take some drones off the shelf, fit some warheads to them and attack our bases, and Australia is not immune to that. Samantha Donovan: What does Australia need to do to be better prepared for any drone attacks? Mick Ryan: Well, firstly, it needs to weed itself off this approach where it buys small numbers of exquisite, expensive weapons that take decades to procure. It needs a balance of some of those and lots of cheap, simple drones that we can adapt very quickly. And secondly, we need to be able to defend our bases in Australia. We can't do that. Samantha Donovan: And what's needed to defend Australian bases from drone attacks? Mick Ryan: It'll be a mix of different things. Firstly, the sensors to just know they're there. Secondly, it'll need electronic warfare, a range of other hard-kill weapons, including drone interceptors, which the Ukrainians now are world's best practice in. Samantha Donovan: Do we have any of those? Mick Ryan: No, we don't. Samantha Donovan: What's your understanding of how much damage the Ukraine drone attack has done to Russian assets? Mick Ryan: Well, we have a saying in the military, first reports are always wrong. So, we'll wait and see exactly how it pans out over the next 24 hours. But it's clear that it's certainly damaged or destroyed a significant number of Russian large aircraft, bombers and early warning aircraft, but the exact number we probably won't know for some time. Samantha Donovan: So, ceasefire talks are about to begin in Turkiye, we understand. What message do you think Ukraine is sending ahead of those talks? Mick Ryan: Well, it was sending a message to the Russians, firstly, that it's not only the Russians that can undertake large-scale strikes within the country of their enemy. It's also sending the message that unlike the Russians, the Ukrainians target military targets, not civilian targets. So, I think they're important messages to send. But finally, the Ukrainians are messaging to the Americans that a Russian victory is not inevitable and they shouldn't believe Russian misinformation, as seems to be the case at times. Samantha Donovan: Do you think it'll make any difference in Vladimir Putin's attitude to these ceasefire negotiations? Mick Ryan: I don't think it'll change his calculus. Ukrainians have been hitting Russian oil refineries, munitions depots and other airfields for quite some time now. Putin appears determined, regardless of the cost, to pursue what he's after in this war, which is to extinguish the sovereignty of Ukraine. Samantha Donovan: And of course, this isn't all one way either. There was a significant attack by Russia on Ukraine. What happened there in the last couple of days? Mick Ryan: Well, last night we saw the biggest attack by Russia on Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Last weekend we saw very significant 300-plus drone attacks. Last night was over 400 drones. So, you know, the Russians are not stepping back. They are stepping up their attacks on Ukraine in the hope that they can terrorise Ukrainians into submission and convince the Americans that all hope is lost with Ukraine. That's just not the case. Samantha Donovan: Moving away from that conflict, may I get your reaction to Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, calling for Australia to increase its defence spending to 3.5% of GDP? Mick Ryan: Well, we've known this has been coming for some time. I mean, he gave a speech in Munich that should have been read pretty clearly across the other side of the world that we were going to get these demands from America. But he's saying nothing. That Australian defence experts, including myself, haven't been saying for many years 2% of GDP is not enough for Australia's defence. In fact, the way it's being spent at the moment, overwhelmingly on nuclear-powered submarines, is compromising the readiness of the rest of the ADF. We need to be at least at 3%, potentially 3.5%. Samantha Donovan: Mick Ryan is a retired Australian Army Major General and a Senior Fellow for Military Studies at the Lowy Institute.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Hanwha Defense Australia appoints ex-BAE exec as new head
Hanwha Defense Australia, a subsidiary of Korean defense leader Hanwha Aerospace, has appointed Australian Army veteran Ben Hudson as its new managing director, further strengthening Hanwha's leadership with globally seasoned defense professionals. The former CEO of BAE Systems Australia — the nation's largest military contractor — officially took office as managing director Monday. He succeeds general manager Dean Michie, who served as acting managing director for 12 months, the company announced. 'I am pleased to be joining the team at HDA during such an important point of the company's growth,' said the new managing director. Hanwha Aerospace highlighted Hudson's extensive experience across Australia and Europe's defense sectors, including senior roles at BAE Systems, Rheinmetall and General Dynamics, as well as his service as an officer in the Australian Army. The company said this expertise will ensure continuity and strong leadership in ongoing projects with the Australian government. The company is currently delivering 30 AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers and 15 AS10 ammunition resupply vehicles under a $716.5 million contract. It also secured a $2.4 billion deal to supply 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles and support systems in 2023. "With this leadership transition, we are strengthening our commitment to supporting the growth of Australia's defense industrial base and further enhancing the nation's sovereign capabilities,' said Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace Global Defense. In its effort to drive growth through global defense projects, Hanwha Aerospace is actively including international experts in the leadership of its major businesses. While Coulter, a US Navy veteran and former executive at Leonardo DRS, took the role in March, Hanwha Aerospace's shipbuilding unit, Hanwha Ocean, added offshore engineering expert Philippe Levy as president of its offshore business last year.
Arab News
28-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Australia whistleblower who exposed war crime allegations loses bid to reduce prison sentence
MELBOURNE: Australian army whistleblower David McBride, who leaked allegations of Australian war crimes in Afghanistan to the media, lost a court bid to have his prison sentence reduced on Wednesday. The three Australian Capital Territory Court of Appeal judges unanimously rejected the 61-year-old former army lawyer's appeal against the severity of a five years and eight months prison sentence imposed a year ago. The judges also rejected McBride's argument that as a military officer he had sworn an oath to Queen Elizabeth II and therefore had sworn duty to act in the 'public interest.' 'To the contrary, the oath obligued the appellant (McBride) to discharge his duties 'according to the law,'' the judges said in a written summary of their ruling. McBride said through his lawyers that Australians would be outraged by the Court of Appeal decision. 'It is my own conscience and the people of Australia that I answer to. I have kept my oath to the Australian people,' McBride said in the lawyers' statement. McBride pleaded guilty last year to three charges, including theft and sharing with journalists documents classified as secret. He faced a potential life sentence. Rights advocates complain that McBride remains the only person to be imprisoned over allegations of war crimes committed by elite Australian special forces troops in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. A military report released in 2020 recommended 19 current and former soldiers face criminal investigations over 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan. Former Special Air Service Regiment soldier Oliver Schulz was charged in March 2023 with murdering an unarmed Afghan in 2012. Schulz pleaded not guilty to the war crime and has yet to stand trial. Former SAS Cpl. Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living veteran, lost an appeal two weeks ago against a civil court ruling that he unlawfully killed four unarmed Afghans. Roberts-Smith said he would appeal his loss in the High Court. He has not been criminally charged. McBride's lawyers also said they would take their appeal to the Hight Court. 'We believe that only the High Court can properly grapple with the immense public interest and constitutional issues at the heart of this case,' the lawyers' statement said. 'It cannot be a crime to expose a crime. It cannot be illegal to tell the truth,' the statement added. Whistleblower's lawyers call for a government pardon The lawyers also called on Attorney General Michelle Rowland, who was appointed after the Labour Party government was re-elected on May 3, to recommend McBride be pardoned. 'It is now time for the attorney general to show leadership. To show Australians that this Labor government will no longer jail whistleblowers,' the lawyers said. Rowland did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. The documents became the source of a series of Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports in 2017 called the 'Afghan Files.' The reports detailed allegations against Australian soldiers including the unlawful killing of men and children. The appeal court judges noted in their summary that McBride began taking home copies of hundreds of secret documents after becoming 'dissatisfied with what he perceived to be vexatious over-investigation of alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers.' McBride declined to have further dealings with a journalist after the reporter revealed he intended to use the classified information for a story exposing war crime allegations, the judges said. McBride can be considered for parole after he has served two years and three months, meaning he must remain behind bars until at least August next year.
SBS Australia
14-05-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
SBS News in Easy English 14 May 2025
Listen to Australian and world news, and follow trending topics with A Queensland man is believed to have been killed while fighting in Ukraine. Caleb List travelled to Ukraine to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion in 2022. Sources in Ukraine have told the A-B-C he is currently missing and believed to have died in heavy fighting in the Kharkiv region last month. Earlier this week, Australian soldier Nick Parsons was also confirmed to have been killed in Ukraine this month while working for a charity removing land mines. The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is providing consular assistance to the families of those missing in Ukraine, and urged Australians to heed warnings NOT to travel to Ukraine. Former Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has received a suspended sentence over the incident that led to the death of his wife, fellow Olympian Melissa Hoskins. In the South Australia District Court today [[Wed]] Dennis was sentenced to one year and five months in jail- to be suspended for two years. He was also placed on a two-year good behaviour bond, and had his driving licence suspended for five years. Dennis pleaded guilty committing an aggravated act likely to cause harm, after his wife was struck by his vehicle near their Adelaide home in 2023, in what Dennis maintains was a tragic accident. Ms Hoskins later died in Royal Adelaide Hospital. The offence carries a maximum sentence of seven years in jail but his barrister asked that her client receive a suspended sentence, which was not opposed by the prosecution. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Russia's attempt at a military partnersip with Indonesia won't affect Australia's relationship with its close neighbour. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly to Jakarta this afternoon [[5pm Wednesday]] to meet the Indonesian President, Prabowo Subianto. It will be the first foreign trip of his second term. The pair are expected to talk about global trade and tensions, as well as Indonesia's developing relationship with China and Russia. Earlier this year it was revealed that Russia had approached Indonesia seeking to build a military airbase on one if its islands, something Indonesia says it has no plans to accomodate. Senator Wong has told the Nine Network Australia is unthreatened by what has gone on. Opposition Finance Spokesperson Jane Hume has hailed the election of Sussan Ley [[Susan Lee]] as Liberal leader as a new beginning for the party. The former deputy Liberal leader was elected to the top job over Opposition Treasury spokesman Angus Taylor in a party room vote yesterday [[Tues]]. The new leader says all Coalition policies are up for review after their devastating loss at the election. Ms Hume told Channel Seven's Sunrise program, the elevation of Ms Ley gives the party a chance to re-evaluate. Socceroos striker Kusini Yengi's career is at a crossroads after he was released by English team Portsmouth. The former Adelaide United and Western Sydney forward joined Portsmouth last season, helping the club gain promotion to the Championship- the second-highest level of English football- by scoring 13 goals in 31 games. But, after battling hamstring and knee injuries, he's failed to find the back of the net at all across this season. His release could put his impact his future on the Australian team. Socceroos coach Tony Popovic has previously said he admires the striker, but Yengi needs to find an environment where is playing regularly.
ABC News
13-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Australian labourer Caleb List feared dead in Ukraine
A Queensland labourer who travelled to Ukraine three years ago to join the fight against Russia's invasion is feared to have been recently killed in battle, but authorities are yet to locate his remains. Sources in Ukraine have told the ABC that former Gladstone resident Caleb List, who signed up with Ukraine's armed forces in 2022, is believed to have died last month during heavy fighting in the Kharkiv region. In an interview last year with German international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), the young Australian outlined his motivation for volunteering with Ukraine's Foreign Legion shortly after President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion. "I wanted to test myself; I wanted to join the French Foreign Legion, I wanted to push myself to the extreme — so I came here with the same motivation, and I've basically done that and now I just do this because it's the only thing I'm really good at," he told DW. During the interview, the soldier who was previously rejected by the Australian Army, described his experience serving alongside other international recruits in Ukraine's Foreign Legion. "When you go to a Ukrainian unit you notice the whole place is clean, they have people who cook and just set up and it's nice so when you come off mission the place is nice, it's spotless," he said. "With the [foreign] legion because they're new and new people, and because people leave and come back, they remake a lot of the mistakes — so the place is sometimes dirty, it's not as well organised, they'll leave stuff behind." A figure connected to Ukraine's Armed Forces has told the ABC Mr List is believed to have been killed by artillery fire in heavily contested territory near the city of Izyum late last month, but his remains have not yet been recovered by his unit. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has declined to comment on the case, but in a statement, it reminded Australians that travel to Ukraine was considered extremely dangerous. "The Australian government has consistently advised Australians not to travel to Ukraine or Russia since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022," a DFAT spokesperson told the ABC. Before travelling to Europe, Mr List worked as a trade assistant at Queensland's Yarwun refinery. While at school he joined the army cadets but his subsequent application to become an Australian soldier was rejected. This week the ABC confirmed former Australian soldier Nick Parsons was killed in Ukraine earlier this month while working for a charity organisation dedicated to removing land mines from the war-torn country. On Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed his "deepest condolences and sympathies" to Mr Parsons' family, whom he did not name citing DFAT advice, while reminding Australians to follow official warnings and not travel to Ukraine.
