The final issue of 2019 and what, in retrospect, may be seen as a hinge year - between the great recession (rapidly entering its third and potentially final phase) and an as yet uncertain and undefined future - completes with five topical papers. Paper 1, the second by David Hobbs, considers "how the Commonwealth Navies might be rebuilt"; paper 2 (by William Alston) considers "the price of alliance" between Australia and the UK with the U.S., in terms of NATO, the UN, 5 Eyes, and ANZUS. This leads into Christopher Skinner's essential third paper providing "a nuclear propulsion roadmap" for Australia's future submarines. All three papers provide a useful backdrop to Pacific 2019 and the International Maritime Exposition (International Convention Centre Sydney, 8-10 Oct) - bookended by the 5th Submarine Institute of Australia (SIA) Submarine Science, Technology and Engineering Conference 2019 (SubSTEC5), Esplanade Hotel Fremantle, 18-21 November 2019. No less important and maintaining the Indo-Pacific theme, is paper 4 (by Hiroyuki Kanazawa and Simon Reay Atkinson), considering the creation and establishment of the "Japanese Navy, the war years, 1925-1945". This is the last of the Japanese Naval History series, for which The NAVY is most grateful. In particular, to Captain Shinsuke Amano JMSDF, the recent Japanese Naval Attache to Australia - who did so much to make the series happen and to strengthen relations between both countries. Thank you. The final paper, by Jon Duggan, is a part rejoinder to the Japanese series, in particular the history leading up to Japanese expansionism between the wars and drawing parallels with Chinese new silk road ambitions in the 21st Century. Placed in context, all five papers relate in part or whole to the Indo-Pacific region.
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