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Analysis
5 elections in 2 months reveal startlingly familiar electoral interference playbooks
Vote early, vote often? Elections in Portugal, the Philippines, Romania, Canada, and Australia have revealed a common thread of tactics to influence...
May 26 2025
Shortsighted decision making must end or risk it all
Opinion: In the face of escalating global threats and strategic uncertainty, Andrew Wallace MP argues that Australia must abandon short-term political thinking and urgently...
May 22 2025
National Audit Office says Defence falls short on Australian industry participation, contract requirements
The Australian National Audit Office has recently found that “Defence has not maximised Australian industry participation through the administration of its...
May 22 2025
Let him cook: Maybe Trump is on to something with his ‘Raptor Super’ idea
No stranger to controversy, US President Donald Trump set a cat among the pigeons with statements about the development of an upgraded F-35, a dual-engine variant, the F-55...
May 21 2025
Serious comorbidity: Chinese ‘spy tech’ in solar systems should raise Australia’s alarms
Recent revelations that Chinese-made solar inverters and other technologies were compromised by “rogue” communication devices underscore the People’s...
May 20 2025
‘Complex interdependence’ as the central pillar of Australia’s grand strategy
Australia’s security and economic ties have been shaped by global interactions, with conflict and geopolitical rivalry often redefining its role in the world. Today,...
May 19 2025
Divine mandate: Chinese-linked cyber activity is the most common form of hybrid threat facing Australia
Cyber attacks were the most common form of hybrid threat faced by Australia in the last decade, but economic coercion and foreign interference are not far behind.
May 16 2025
Future of fighting predictions: What to expect at Talisman Sabre 2025
Australia is set to host more than 30,000 military personnel during its largest-ever Exercise Talisman Sabre from July this year. But what strategy can we expect, and which...
May 15 2025
Australia needs to prepare to confront a ‘deglobalising’ world
With the future of the neoliberal “globalised” world order in doubt, contrasted by the rise of multiple, competing centres of economic, political and strategic...
May 14 2025
Unaligned continental defence v aligned forward defence debate heats up once again
It is a debate older than our Collins Class submarines, continental defence versus forward defence. Now the debate has been resurfaced and raises significant questions about...
May 13 2025
Hey, big spender! Balancing higher defence spending and the impending national fiscal cliff
During the (thankfully) now-concluded federal election campaign, the government faced mounting fiscal pressures, with commentators and economists questioning how increased...
May 12 2025
Drop that shovel: How Australia can use surplus military equipment rather than burying it
Australians love to dig holes. It’s in our blood to carve out the earth in search of iron ore, to take the hard yakka road of transforming our natural environment or to...
May 08 2025
Lessons from the front: The intersection of Australian and Ukrainian politics
Nearly three and a half years since Russian forces rolled into Ukraine, the staying power of the much smaller nation has served as a powerful inspiration, but there are...
May 07 2025
From Lightning to Super Lightning: Lockheed Martin chief hints at evolution pathways
Boeing’s evolution of the venerable F/A-18 Hornet into the Super Hornet sought to breathe fresh life into a legacy platform. Now it appears that the fifth-generation...
May 06 2025
Election fallout sees call for greater ‘independence’ for Australia’s future
With the election behind us, Australia can finally move forward – but as one newly elected independent urged a more autonomous, nuanced strategy for the nation’s...
May 05 2025
Our shrinking, self-bankrupting military – getting less for more
Opinion: Australia is spending more and more taxpayers’ dollars equipping our Defence Force, but it is buying less and less. We’re in a spiralling affordability...
May 02 2025
Election 2025: Rob’s defence priorities and wish list for the next government
The voters are heading to polling stations with just days to go before the 3 May federal election. However, national security and defence have remained notably absent from...
May 01 2025
Balancing ambition and reality on the other side of the ditch
Opinion: Australia and New Zealand’s strategic compasses have often pointed to different directions. Where Australia sees potential threats to the north, New...
April 30 2025
‘Better prepared’ in 1914 – historian’s critique begs the question: How did we drop the ball so badly?
Acclaimed Australian historian Geoffrey Blainey has issued a pointed warning to Australia’s political leaders, that the nation was “better prepared” to face...
April 29 2025
Unfit for purpose: Whoever wins, we need to prepare the nation for conflict
Right now, our nation is laughably unprepared for conflict brewing in our region – and the economic, political, social and security fallout will be brutal. Whoever wins...
April 28 2025
