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Analysis
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...
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
US reliability waning: Australia requires alternative self-defence policy
Opinion: There has been a dramatic change in our strategic circumstances. United States reliability has been found wanting.
April 23 2025
Election 2025: Steve’s Defence priorities and wish list for the next government
With the election just a few weeks away and defence and national security barely rating a mention despite the best efforts of both Beijing and Moscow, we asked each of the...
April 22 2025
Deterrence and the 2024 National Defence Strategy – what’s missing?
Opinion: The concept of “deterrence” sits at the core of the 2024 National Defence Strategy; however, achieving a true deterrent capability is a journey and...
April 17 2025
Becoming a ‘keystone’ nation in the face of a post-America Asia
As America’s attention and increasingly limited resources are being pulled into multiple directions, its enduring commitment to acting as the security benefactor has...
April 16 2025
Renegotiating, restructuring Pax Americana and Australia’s place in it
With the world in a state of seemingly constant flux and the established norms being rewritten on a daily basis, Australia, like many American allies and partners, has the...
April 15 2025
Lessons from the Ukrainian front lines
The war in Ukraine has rewritten the rules for what near-peer conflict might look like, and those rules are still being written. Here are some of the key takeaways after...
April 11 2025
Is it too little, too late? NZ announces complete rebuild of military capability
The New Zealand government has announced a complete overhaul and universal rebuild of its military forces and defence infrastructure.
April 10 2025
The best of both worlds? Navigating and charting the enduring evolution of the Australia-US alliance
Amid growing concern about the future of the Australia-US alliance off the back of President Donald Trump's indiscriminate tariff regime gaining traction amongst some...
April 09 2025
Get real about defence and national security, warns former foreign minister
Former Australian foreign minister Alexander Downer has urged our leaders and the public to take defence and national security more seriously as the election campaign gets...
April 08 2025
