Analysis

Hearts and minds: Confronting and overcoming the war on our perceptions of conflict, competition and our place in the world
Australians, like their counterparts across the Western world, are seemingly constantly under assault as adversaries – both state-based and...
May 26 2026
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What’s behind door number 2? Collins sustainment, foreign stopgaps and the hard truth about a gap
For more than a decade, Australia’s submarine debate has been shaped by one uncomfortable reality: the country cannot afford to let the undersea arm atrophy while waiting...
May 25 2026
2026 National Defence Strategy – what’s changed? What’s still missing?
Opinion: The 2026 National Defence Strategy is a stronger and more coherent document than NDS24, but it still fails to fully address immediate deterrence requirements and the...
May 23 2026
Europe is preparing for war — and the rest of the world will pay the price
Opinion: Norway’s cancellation of Malaysia’s Naval Strike Missile deal underscores Europe’s accelerating wartime industrial mobilisation and highlights the growing...
May 22 2026
Artificial intelligence in the defence context: Levels of employment, the DIKW hierarchy and human factors
Opinion: AI is reshaping modern warfare across every level of conflict while reinforcing the need for human judgement and sovereign Australian capability, explains Air...
May 21 2026
What makes a ‘good’ national security strategy?
With the federal opposition committing to developing and implementing the nation’s first comprehensive, whole-of-nation national security strategy since 2013, maybe it is...
May 19 2026
Hardware elsewhere: Russia’s sombre Victory Day parade spooked by drone threats
Russia’s imposing array of military hardware and visiting foreign officials were thin on the ground during the country’s recent Victory Day, both groups likely spooked by...
May 18 2026
Defence industry responds to 2026 federal budget
The release of the 2026 federal budget has been dubbed the most “important and ambitious budget in decades”, according to Treasurer Jim Chalmers.
May 14 2026
Beyond the headlines: What the 2026 federal budget really means for Australian Defence
The 2026–27 federal budget marks a defining moment in the evolution of Australia’s defence policy, representing the first major fiscal blueprint built around the Albanese...
May 13 2026
Hey true blue: Civic patriotism, civic nationalism, national security and the challenges of great power competition
As great power competition intensifies, Australia, like many Western nations, faces a growing challenge: rebuilding patriotism, social cohesion and national identity without...
May 12 2026
The Hormuz precedent: Maritime tolls and the future of global shipping
Opinion: Iran has effectively set up a maritime toll booth in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has threatened to sanction anyone who pays the toll, yet the toll booth...
May 11 2026
Age of chaos and disruption requires us to ask new questions
As the post-World War II rules-based order continues to erode and a more competitive multipolar world emerges, Australia can no longer afford to ask the same questions; we...
May 09 2026
Laser capabilities expand into space and defence communications
Laser communications is a growing facet of contemporary connection, with Australia leading the global acceleration of this emerging technology.
May 07 2026
The new strategic arithmetic: Australia, Japan come together to navigate the coming storm
Despite a rocky past, the rapidly deteriorating global environment is strengthening the Australia–Japan relationship, as birds of a feather flock together, but more will...
May 06 2026
Opposition calls for Raider consideration as it opens some exciting doors, if we’re brave enough to knock
When opposition defence spokesman Senator James Paterson called for Australia to consider the B-21 Raider, it wasn’t anything new, but the idea not only has merit, it also...
May 05 2026
Time for some self-respect? Expert warns Australia can’t be too keen on US alliance
The increasing unpredictability of the United States as the nation’s primary security benefactor has reignited calls from an expert for Australia to have a little more...
May 04 2026
What would an ADF that spends 2.5% or 3% of GDP actually look like?
With all the talk around the level of defence spending as a percentage of GDP, I thought I would run an interesting thought experiment: ask AI what a credible middle power...
May 02 2026
‘Anemoia’, social cohesion, economic security and national resilience in the era of great power competition
Generations of Australians aren’t just disillusioned, they’re done. Done with a system that ignores them, a dream that was sold out from under them, and leaders who never...
May 01 2026
Australia’s manufacturing problem is not capability, it’s control
Opinion: Australia’s manufacturing problem is not capability. It is control.
April 30 2026
Honouring sacrifice: Taking ourselves seriously is the least we can do
Anzac Day is widely held as the most sacred day in Australia’s national calendar. A day when the country comes together to commemorate the sacrifice of the nation’s best...
April 28 2026