Analysis

Sovereignty, security and the AI chip question
Opinion: Western militaries face a growing challenge: maintaining access to US AI technology that underpins modern warfighting while building greater...
June 13 2026
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Stop building the Batmobile: Defence weaponry must be designed for factory floors
Anduril founder Palmer Luckey has urged Western governments to focus on deployable defence capability over creating exquisite and expensive individual systems.
June 12 2026
Falling on deaf ears? Australia needs to break addiction to ‘just-in time’ supply chains
COVID-19 laid bare Australia’s supply chain vulnerabilities. Conflicts in Europe and the Middle East have underscored them, but Australia remains addicted to just-in-time...
June 11 2026
Lessons from the British Isles powder keg? Migration, social cohesion, civil war, youth engagement and national security
Social media was awash with footage of an alleged beheading attempt by a Sudanese “asylum seeker” in Belfast, yet another stark warning of growing social tensions in...
June 10 2026
Are you really sure you want to go there? Greens defence spokesman argues for ‘regional defence’ over AUKUS
As debate continues about the future of the nation’s future fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, Greens defence spokesman, NSW senator David Shoebridge, has called for...
June 09 2026
Part 2: The complex challenges of integrated deterrence, China and Taiwan
Opinion: Chinese strategic intentions in relation to the Indo-Pacific are best encapsulated in Xi Jinping’s concept of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
June 06 2026
Part 1: The complex challenges of integrated deterrence, China and Taiwan
Opinion: Since my early days of university, I have thought of US–China relations as the defining issue of our time.
June 06 2026
A national audit for a stronger Australia: Government’s role in restoring sovereign capability
Opinion: Defence logistics specialist Dave Grosvenor argues that a government-led national audit must be the starting point for a national action plan that must rebuild...
June 05 2026
The geopolitical implications of the return of nationalism in Europe
Opinion: Europe is experiencing a rise in nationalism driven by migration, economic pressures and ongoing conflicts. As far-right parties gain influence and anti-migrant...
June 04 2026
Sleepwalking towards disaster? Former home affairs secretary warns ‘war is coming’
Time and again, Australia’s policymakers and the public have been warned that time is running out, conflict is more likely than not, yet as a nation, we seem to be...
June 02 2026
Infrastructure is now strategy: Why the Pacific needs high-quality delivery and professional private-sector expertise
Opinion: The Quad’s Fiji port plan underscores infrastructure as strategy, with success hinging on credible, private-sector-led delivery rather than government-led ambition...
June 01 2026
Japan and Australia’s strategic imperative for deeper defence and dual-use industrial cooperation
Opinion: As we look forward to the Shangri-La Dialogue this coming weekend and expected announcements about deeper cooperation with Japan, trilateral initiatives with New...
May 30 2026
Cash? No cash here, says ASPI ‘Cost of Defence’ report
The new ASPI “Cost of Defence” report finds a record defence commitment riddled with funding shortfalls, backloaded spending and structural weaknesses that could leave...
May 29 2026
The missing link: Engaging young Aussies now mission critical if Australia is to survive and thrive
With “intergenerational equity” firmly on the government and opposition’s agenda, young Australians have, arguably, never had more power and influence, but there is...
May 27 2026
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 non-state actors – are seeking...
May 26 2026
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