1 day ago
South China Sea: The “transparency initiative” success is plain to see
But pressure on the Philippines means that its key partners must step up more.
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6 Sep 2024
Iran’s shadow hand in Houthi Red Sea attacks
How the Houthis and Iranians work together isn’t absolutely clear – but stopping the threat to shipping requires more than shooting down incoming missiles and extends to disrupting an intelligence and targeting system. -
5 Sep 2024
Is AUKUS Pillar II growing too quickly?
More ambition and more members can’t be a mask for success. -
27 Aug 2024
Indonesia pledges closer defence ties with Australia one day – military drills with China the next
Jakarta carries risks while seeking the rewards of its friends to all approach to defence diplomacy. -
22 Aug 2024
AUKUS: The Singapore Strategy Redux
Successive governments are making the nation vulnerable to a repeat performance. -
21 Aug 2024
Surprise and modern war
The Kursk offensive is a reminder of the enduring power of surprise. Prudence suggests that Australia needs be prepared. -
16 Aug 2024
Interoperability: The missing link in Indo-Pacific security
Settling on a definition of an overused buzzword is the first step for Australia to ensure successful military partnerships in Southeast Asia. -
14 Aug 2024
Beijing’s Baltic confession exposes undersea vulnerability
While China claims a blunder, its ship cutting a pipeline and cable last year leaves transparency questions aplenty. -
6 Aug 2024
A respite for the Sierra Madre, but Philippines-China tensions remain
A provisional understanding is just that. Much now depends on China’s behaviour and its record is not encouraging. -
5 Aug 2024
Thinking the “unthinkable” again?
Security motivations alone rarely explain decisions to “go nuclear”. Australia’s history on the question is complex. -
5 Aug 2024
Marcos vs Duterte: Domestic politics meets grand strategy
Doubts linger regarding the longevity of Manila’s forward-leaning stance on regional security. -
2 Aug 2024
What Australia can learn from Ukraine's long-range strike weapons
Ukraine now has multiple options for strike operations at an affordable cost. This is exactly what the Australian Defence Force needs. -
23 Jul 2024
ASEAN centrality stands in the way of an Indonesia-Australia alliance
While Jakarta’s non-alignment approach makes a pact unlikely any time soon, common strategic objectives can still be achieved. -
18 Jul 2024
Philippines-Japan security pact puts China on notice
Though both nations recognise the indispensability of Washington, they are also hedging against future uncertainties. -
17 Jul 2024
Moving beyond the grey zone: The case for ICAD
Why some Indo-Pacific nations are renaming the place between peace and war. -
17 Jul 2024
A second suitable piece of real estate
The geostrategic significance of revamped submarine facilities off the WA coast echoes its utility from 80 years back. -
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12 Jul 2024
Testing the climate for AUKUS
The deterrence effects of nuclear-powered submarines are easily overstated, and the boats won’t fulfil Australia’s most pressing security needs in a changing environment. -
10 Jul 2024
Cable ties: Defending seabed lines of communication
Underwater vulnerabilities need to be far more prominent in the conversation. -
8 Jul 2024
The NATO summit in Washington will be critical to Australia’s interests
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should have gone. -
5 Jul 2024
Four key influences on the evolution of the Ukraine War in 2025
Ukraine, Russia and NATO are already considering their strategy for the military campaigns of 2025. -
4 Jul 2024
The time has come for an Australia‑Indonesia military pact
An effective alliance is founded on a common vital interest which can only be met together. Australia and Indonesia have one. -
26 Jun 2024
The case for AUKUS you should read – even if not yet the explanation we need
A Labor backbencher sets out the challenges Australia faces from China and a rationale for nuclear-powered submarines. -
25 Jun 2024
Ten reasons why Trump will support AUKUS
AUKUS will survive regardless of who wins the presidential election in November. -
17 Jun 2024
Halfway, right: Australia’s approach to the Indian Ocean
The dividing line that splits the Indian Ocean in two is a pragmatic acknowledgement of Australia’s resources and strategy. -
12 Jun 2024
Deterring China’s military violence against Australians
Options to respond should be made clear before the worst happens. -
7 Jun 2024
The forgotten weapon of mass destruction
Preventing the spread of unconventional tools of warfare requires constant vigilance. -
4 Jun 2024
Not in the same boat? Perceptions of the Australia-Philippines security partnership
The closer and growing defence ties between the countries doesn’t appear to have permeated the public mind yet. -
3 Jun 2024
Clarity needed on a “capability gap”
Counting warships is only one measure of deterrence. An integrated force will be more lethal and that carries a cost. -
29 May 2024
Conscription doesn’t work for Australia
It’s not clear how any national service scheme works if it isn’t compulsory, and compulsion is politically poisonous. -
28 May 2024
The cultural change needed to align security and economics
How the world works has changed, and so must we. -
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24 May 2024
The “Squad” is a welcome spin-off, but the Quad is the main game
India might not perfectly align with its partners in the minilateral group but its Indo-Pacific heft is much greater than that of the Philippines. -
21 May 2024
Putting dollars behind “all tools of statecraft”
The budget papers offer a chance to assess the government’s claims against fiscal reality. -
13 May 2024
The cause for China’s coercion in the skies may lay under the water
Better to understand now why Australia might be targeted rather than in the aftermath of a fatal incident. -
9 May 2024
“Squad” goals: Consolidating the new quadrilateral partnership
With China flexing its muscle in the South China Sea, a revised grouping that includes the Philippines strikes a new balance. -
7 May 2024
Helicopter flare up should highlight China’s base instincts
An Australian military response to Beijing’s provocation is unthinkable – but there are other ways to tame its ambition. -
6 May 2024
The Poseidon adventure: Australian diplomacy takes wing
Using its P-8A Poseidon aircraft, there is scope for Australia's air force to do more maritime defence diplomacy. -
29 Apr 2024
Balikatan 2024: Philippines and friends send a clear signal to China
Drills will for the first time take place outside of the Philippines’ 12 nautical miles “territorial waters”, thus directly challenging China’s expansive claims across the South China Sea. -
24 Apr 2024
FONOPs send a message – but they don’t speak for themselves
Making the case for rules can dispel a common misunderstanding that promoting freedom on the seas is about power. -
23 Apr 2024
As warfare changes, so does Australian strategy
The National Defence Strategy is not as new as the government claims, but comes with welcome capability investments. -
19 Apr 2024
Girt by sea: Redrawing Australia’s mental map
A big part of the challenge is asking the hard questions – and a new book does just that. -
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17 Apr 2024
Why China remains unlikely to invade Taiwan
Xi Jinping didn't reach the top of Chinese politics by gambling. -
8 Apr 2024
Beyond Biden vs Trump: The other US elections that matter
In US foreign policy, the Congress can pack a punch against the president, and that reverberates all the way to Australia. -
4 Apr 2024
Did Russia's security agencies take their eye off the ball?
Russia's definition of public security has become conflated with regime security. -
27 Mar 2024
Mapping the oceans is the new front in the battle for influence in the Indian Ocean
Ruling the waves means first understanding what lies beneath. Enter the geopolitics of hydrography. -
21 Mar 2024
China's grey-zone provocations: Time to reciprocate
Those subject to China's actions have responded cautiously. They now need to consider a change in tactics. -
18 Mar 2024
Australia and deterrence: Dazed and confused
Debate about Australia's new nuclear-powered submarines betrays confusion and vagueness about what deterrence is. -
18 Mar 2024
The ripple effects of NATO expansion
Türkiye’s approval of Sweden’s entry into the treaty alliance has led to improved US–Turkish relations.