20th September 2013
Washington DC, USA
This week marked a significant historical moment for my nation—the 73rd anniversary of the Battle of Britain. A brief description of this titanic struggle: by the 18 of June 1940, following the chaotic evacuation of 330,000 men from Dunkirk, all of Britain’s forces had been driven out of France. Recognising the very great danger that now loomed, Winston Churchill—who had been Prime […]
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20th September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Woomera – a test range the size of England – was a famous Cold War site, where the Anglo-Australia Joint Project was established in 1946. The name comes from the Aboriginal word for “spear thrower”. At its heyday some 7,000 people lived in a specially constructed town in the middle of the desert, 500 km […]
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17th September 2013
Athens, Greece
When I was 19 I tried for the first time to gain a permit to enter the Holy Mountain. I am an Anglican and a believer, and have long been interested in monasticism and Orthodox spirituality. In 1987, my application was unsuccessful and I rather lost heart; I have waited over 25 years to fill […]
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13th September 2013
Ottawa, Canada
So what brings a Royal Navy Commander to the Canadian Yukon in the middle of summer? The answer is Operation NANOOK – an annual cross-government operation which supports Canada’s commitment to ‘The True North Strong and Free’…
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13th September 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
The “light blue” uniforms were on full display at the High Commission’s annual Battle of Britain Day commemoration this week. Two Royal Australian Air Force Air Marshals were present – Vice Chief of the Defence Force Mark Binskin and Chief of Air Force Geoff Brown – together with a range of serving military personnel and […]
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8th July 2013
Washington DC, USA
“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by the nation.” President George Washington, 1789. Judging by the amazing opportunities and activities of the last few months for […]
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5th May 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Defence Minister Stephen Smith launched Australia’s new Defence White Paper in an RAAF hangar in Canberra. They were flanked by Australia’s senior military chiefs and defence officials, against the backdrop of some impressive looking hardware and a military band. The hangar was open to the elements, so we could all […]
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1st May 2013
Paris, France
We’ve just had the publication of the French White Paper on defence and security, the “Livre blanc”. It’s been a great privilege for me to be part of the commission that was put together to advise the Government on writing this White Paper.
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12th April 2013
Washington DC, USA
I accompanied the Right Honourable Mark Francois, Minister of Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Min DPWV) for four days in Washington last week during his visit to discuss all aspects of the Service Personnel, Veterans and Families Taskforce (SPV+F). We were looked after tremendously by our American counterparts, with the highest levels of access in […]
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18th March 2013
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
In my job I am often asked “what difference can diplomacy really make?”. It is not always an easy question to answer. But, this week at the United Nations in New York, we should see an example of diplomacy making a real, tangible difference – and both Turkey and the UK are involved. Today the […]
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