Greetings from Seoul, the capital of South Korea. We are covering the ADEX defence equipment show that includes a huge amount of high technology gear – some of it like the Redback IFV and Huntsman SPH already known to Australians. The company Hanwha Ocean have reaffirmed their interest in supplying Australia with an air-independent conventional submarine that has lithium ion batteries, a fuel cell and vertical launch missile system. Larger than Collins, it can remain submerged and totally undetectable for more than 20 days in a row. We explain how this all came about through the Korean economic miracle that started in the 1960s and has not slowed down.
Finally a rumour so absurd that it is hard to believe. It has been suggested that at the forthcoming Indo-Pacific conference in Sydney, members of the ADF will be banned from attending meetings with industry held in rooms and must instead remain publicly visible the entire time. This is presumably from a fear that if they go into a private space they will uncontrollably remove their uniforms and stage an orgy.