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John Blaxland

Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
John Blaxland is Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies, and was recently appointed Official Historian of the Australian Signals Directorate and commissioned to write a two-volume history of ASD. He is a former Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University and is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, and the first Australian recipient of a US Department of Defense Minerva Research Initiative grant examining great power contestation in Southeast Asia. John holds a PhD in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada, an MA in History from ANU and a BA (Hons 1) from UNSW. He is a graduate of the Royal Thai Army Command & Staff College (dux, foreign students) and the Royal Military College, Duntroon (Blamey Scholar). He has extensive experience in the intelligence community including as the principal intelligence staff officer (S2) for the Australian infantry brigade deployed to East Timor in September 1999, as an intelligence exchange officer in Washington DC, and as Director Joint Intelligence Operations (J2), at Headquarters Joint Operations Command. In addition he was Australia’s Defence Attaché to Thailand and Myanmar. At ANU, he teaches undergraduate students a course entitled “Honeypots and Overcoats: Australian Intelligence in the World”. His publications include: The Secret Cold War: The Official History of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation 1975-1989 (2016); East Timor Intervention (2015); The Protest Years (2015): The Australian Army From Whitlam to Howard (2014); Strategic Cousins (2006); Revisiting Counterinsurgency (2006); Information era Manoeuvre (2003); Signals: Swift and Sure (1998); and Organising an Army: The Australian Experience 1957-1965 (1989).

Calling in the army for the vaccine rollout and every other emergency shows how ill-prepared we are

Jun 07, 2021 23:44 pm UTC| Health

News the armys Lieutenant General John JJ Frewen has been picked to lead a new COVID-19 vaccination task force has prompted fresh discussion of the defence forces role in Australia. Frewen, already the commander of the...

Global Geopolitics Series

China does not want war, at least not yet. It's playing the long game

May 09, 2021 09:03 am UTC| Politics

Talk of war has become louder in recent days, but the drumbeat has been heard for some time now as Chinas military capabilities have grown. China does not want war, at least not yet. Its playing the long game and its...

Economy

Indonesia Fiscal Deficit Outlook: Fitch Signals Flexibility Amid Middle East War Risks

Indonesia may have limited room to exceed its legal fiscal deficit ceiling of 3% of GDP without facing an immediate credit rating downgrade, according to Fitch Ratings. The agency suggests that any breach would need to be...

Japan Inflation Rises in March Amid Energy Price Surge and Middle East Tensions

Japans consumer price index (CPI) inflation increased more than expected in March, driven largely by rising energy costs linked to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The latest government data shows that headline...

Asian Markets Mixed as Oil Prices Rise Amid Middle East Tensions and Ceasefire Uncertainty

Asian stock markets showed a mixed performance on Friday as rising oil prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East weighed on investor sentiment. A fragile ceasefire and stalled U.S.-Iran negotiations...

U.S. Stock Futures Edge Higher as Ceasefire Extension and Intel Earnings Lift Sentiment

U.S. stock index futures moved slightly higher বৃহস্পতিবার evening following a weaker session on Wall Street, as investors responded to geopolitical developments and strong corporate earnings. SP 500 Futures climbed 0.2%...

Oil Prices Surge Amid Escalating U.S.-Iran Conflict and Strait of Hormuz Tensions

Oil prices climbed during Asian trading on Friday, driven by growing concerns over a prolonged U.S.-Iran conflict and ongoing disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Market sentiment remains tense after U.S. President Donald...

Politics

Judge Orders Release of Family After Longest ICE Detention Under Trump Administration

A woman and her five children were released from U.S. immigration detention after more than 10 months, marking the longest known family detention during President Donald Trumps administration. The release came Thursday...

US and EU Strengthen Critical Minerals Partnership to Reduce China Dependence

The United States and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation on critical minerals, marking a strategic move to secure global supply chains and reduce...

U.S. Army Soldier Charged in $400K Insider Betting Scheme on Maduro Capture

A U.S. Army Special Forces soldier has been charged by the Justice Department for allegedly using classified information to profit from bets on the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. According to federal...

Trump Administration Launches Civil Rights Probe into NYC Education Department Over Pro-Palestinian Educators

The Trump administration has initiated a civil rights investigation into the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), focusing on alleged discrimination linked to a pro-Palestinian educators group. The U.S....

Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Extended as U.S. Pushes for Peace Talks

The Lebanon-Israel ceasefire has been extended for three more weeks following high-level negotiations hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The meeting brought together Israels ambassador to Washington,...

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Intel Stock Surges as AI Chip Demand Drives Strong Q2 Forecast

Intel Corp delivered a bullish outlook for the second quarter of 2026, signaling a strong turnaround fueled by rising demand for AI data center chips. The company projected earnings per share (EPS) of $0.20, significantly...

Microsoft Commits $18 Billion to Expand AI and Cloud Infrastructure in Australia

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) has unveiled a major investment plan worth A$25 billion (approximately $18 billion) in Australia, signaling a significant push to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing...

Elon Musk Signals Intel 14A Chips for Tesla’s Terafab AI Semiconductor Venture

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) CEO Elon Musk revealed new details about the companys ambitious semiconductor plans, confirming that the Terafab joint venture intends to leverage Intels advanced 14A chip manufacturing process....

Tesla Earnings Beat Expectations as EV Growth Holds Amid Robotics and AI Shift

Tesla reported stronger-than-expected first-quarter 2026 earnings, driven largely by resilience in its core electric vehicle business, even as the company continues shifting focus toward artificial intelligence, robotics,...

SK Hynix Reports Record Q1 Profit Surge Driven by AI Memory Chip Demand

SK Hynix Inc. (KS:000660) delivered a standout performance in the first quarter, reporting a dramatic surge in operating profit that exceeded market expectations. The South Korean semiconductor giant benefited...