Analysis

PM avoids a Trump spray, but questions remain
Kevin Rudd’s public humiliation aside, Prime Minister Albanese has managed to come away from his first bilateral meeting with the US president...
October 22 2025
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The Finnish model: Can the Baltic nation’s preparations teach Australia something?
Amid concerns Russia is turning its eyes further to the west, Finland has been quietly preparing, investing in a network of hardened infrastructure and ramping up reserves...
October 21 2025
Wake-up call: Enduring Russian war effort reveals limitations of US, Western power
Despite what we have been told, America’s power has its limits and Russia’s enduring war effort against Ukraine has served to reinforce this, but it also provides...
October 20 2025
New Zealand’s defence uplift: Complementary strength for the Anzac Force
Opinion: New Zealand’s defence capability is on the cusp of its most significant uplift in decades.
October 17 2025
Forging allied industrial power: J-StarX and Project Dynamis join forces
Opinion: The emerging partnership between the US, Japan, and Australia, centred on initiatives like J-StarX and Project Dynamis, demonstrates a practical model for allied...
October 16 2025
Canary in the iron ore mine: China’s demands of BHP signal a bold shift towards de-dollarisation
Beijing’s push to pressure BHP, the world’s biggest miner, into trading in yuan has rattled markets but barely registered with geopolitical analysts. Many have...
October 15 2025
US Navy’s upgrades to Zumwalt Class provide naval leg for conventional deterrence triad model
For nations like Australia, deterrence has long been seen as the preserve of nuclear superpowers. Yet today, conventional deterrence is becoming a defining tool for middle...
October 14 2025
Mobilisation, (re)industrialisation and Australia’s long-term security
Australia’s industrial capacity (or lack thereof) has been increasingly under the microscope in recent weeks, with the rhetoric recognising the importance of a...
October 13 2025
Papua New Guinea, Australia mutual defence treaty secures military and regional stability
The newly signed defence agreement between Australia and Papua New Guinea represents a commonsense outcome and formal acknowledgement between the two countries for the...
October 10 2025
Impactful projection, really? Australia’s siege ‘strategy’ will only hurt us
Since the release of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review and 2024 National Defence Strategy, Australia’s defence strategy has been effectively rebranded by a doctrine of...
October 09 2025
Run out of luck? Curse of the ‘Lucky Country’ strikes again, warns Australian spy chief
For generations, Australians have been told that we are the “Lucky Country” based on Donald Horne’s book of the same name, but once again, his true meaning...
October 08 2025
The war you don’t see: Inside the battle for Australia’s mind
Opinion: China’s hybrid operations against Australia fuse industrial disinformation, cyber infiltration and narrative warfare to reshape markets, weaken alliances like...
October 07 2025
The War You Don’t See: Inside the Battle for Australia’s Mind
China’s hybrid operations against Australia fuse industrial disinformation, cyber infiltration, and narrative warfare to reshape markets, weaken alliances like AUKUS,...
October 07 2025
Far from perfect but closing in on scary levels of capability: Expert warns
Beijing’s military modernisation has rightfully drawn attention from across the Indo-Pacific, and while it has had some setbacks and is far from perfect, the reality is...
October 06 2025
Book review: Roar of the Dragon forecasts worst-case Taiwan scenario
Roar of the Dragon feels like a worst-case scenario of reality as an Indo-Pacific coalition, including Australia, attempts to stop the invasion of Taiwan without the support...
October 02 2025
Next steps: With AUKUS surviving, what should we do next?
With it looking like AUKUS has survived the Trump administration’s review into its viability and impact on the US Navy’s own future submarine capabilities and...
October 01 2025
Only as strong as the sum of its parts: Rebuilding international institutions requires rebuilt, robust nation-states
International bodies like the UN, World Bank and EU have been flexing their muscles in recent years, but they forget they’re only as strong as their member states...
September 30 2025
An offer they can’t refuse: Beijing, Moscow partner in preparation for Taiwan move
A new report by the Royal United Services Institute has revealed that Moscow is aiding Beijing and its preparations for a potential move on Taiwan, setting the scene for...
September 29 2025
The debate continues: Maximising defence spending before increasing the budget
Australia’s ongoing debate about its level of defence spending is once again gaining headlines, with renewed and urgent calls to focus on material capability rather...
September 26 2025
Local special interests push back with ‘Port Kembla Declaration’, but they are missing the point and the opportunities
A group of concerned local special interests groups have launched their latest attack on the potential use of Port Kembla on the NSW South Coast as the proposed east coast...
September 25 2025