While Australia’s interests are clear, its contribution is ambiguous.

Security deterrence is only one factor in the new and fast-moving geostrategic environment of the Indo-Pacific.

By the time Canberra’s subs roll off the dock, their capabilities will be obsolete, and there are bigger threats, too.

US claims to upholding the rules-based order don’t square with its silence on Mauritian sovereignty in the Chagos.

Is it only a matter of time before China replaces the US as the predominant military power in Asia?

Organising a loose strategic coalition might upset Beijing, but that's no reason not to forge ahead.

Neither destroyer was showing Automatic Identification System data at the time of their accident. This was done to keep their identity as American warships secret.

The US Navy’s mastery of engineering has long been a strength for the navy, but the requirement for all its line officers to spend time as platform engineers at sea may be at the expense of seamanship and navigation.

The White House seems to regard FONOPs as a means to induce Chinese concessions on the North Korean nuclear issue. This is not what these patrols are designed for.

There has been yet another spate of US-China incidents involving US intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance probes.

The selection of Mischief Reef raises the question as to what particular freedom of navigation the US was seeking to exercise.