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Analysis
Trump’s tariffs present more opportunities than challenges – we just have to be brave
Now that the hyperventilating and hysteria have stopped (hopefully), perhaps it is time to look at the Trump tariffs with clear eyes and start...
April 07 2025
Waking the sleepy stewards of Australian Defence
Australia has the military it wanted. How do we get the one we need, asks Strategic Analysis Australia’s Michael Shoebridge.
April 04 2025
Federal budget fallout: Liberals, Labor expose soft puffery underbelly on defence policy
Hypocrites. That’s the word that accurately sums up the fallout from last week’s federal budget and reply speech.
April 04 2025
Yes, Australia can defend itself independently, but not as an echidna
Many commentators have long debated Australia's capacity to defend itself independently, with arguments both in the pro and con columns. But for too long, the Australian...
April 03 2025
Frogs in boiling water: Taiwan, Australia share some similarities as Beijing steps up coercion attempts
Beijing is stepping up its attempts to wear down Taiwan with expansive military exercises to surround the island. Meanwhile, closer to home, we have seen the latest attempts...
April 02 2025
The 2009 white paper, Force 2030 and a jumping-off point
When it was officially launched in May 2009, the Defending Australia in the Asia-Pacific Century: Force 2030 white paper was met with varying degrees of criticism –...
April 01 2025
Pete Hegseth, the Signal disaster, and the unbearable stupidity of the Trump administration
As high-level talks to plan a US strike on Houthi rebels in Yemen went public in the most disastrous way this week, one question looms large – are any adults actually...
March 28 2025
Finally! Recognition that we’re rudderless
As Australia heads into the quagmire that comes with an election campaign where defence and national security will play an increasing role, there is a growing recognition...
March 24 2025
If Australia stands for anything, we must send troops to Ukraine if we’re asked
The Prime Minister says we should consider it, while the Coalition wants to use “boots on the ground” as a political wedge … But there’s more than...
March 21 2025
Efficiency review long overdue: Is a more transparent, accountable US Department of Defense the way forward?
The US Department of Defense has recently announced it will undertake an evolving plan to make military projects, funding and reporting more transparent.
March 20 2025
Divided and forgotten: Western Balkans drift towards chaos
Opinion: I’ve always been critical of the US imposing its will on other political systems under the pretence of “bringing democracy to your doorstep”....
March 19 2025
Structure and incentives: Necessary preconditions for the adoption of strategic mindset in capability acquisition
Opinion: The adoption of a strategic risk management mindset in capability acquisition is essential, but without structural changes and incentive realignment – such as...
March 18 2025
‘Up for grabs’ an Australian century in the Indo-Pacific? Stranger things have happened
We have heard a lot about an “American” and “Chinese” century, but with the Indo-Pacific in an ever-developing state of flux, what about an Australian...
March 17 2025
Time for more than a Plan B? Debate swirls around how Australia should respond to Trump’s unpredictability
With transactional politics now back in flavour and Australia’s “great and powerful friend”, the United States, looking increasingly unreliable, how we...
March 12 2025
Balancing act: Debate continues around Australia’s economic v national security
With Australia’s economy continuing to sputter along, the intersection of “whole-of-nation” security and prosperity has never been more important, which is...
March 11 2025
Australia requires a ‘self-insurance’ policy to weather perfect storm: Investment expert warns
The rapid rise of a multipolar world is reshaping global economies, stability, prosperity and security – leaving Australia no longer shielded by its geographic...
March 10 2025
US Pentagon hopeful confirms 3% is the floor, not the ceiling in warning to Australia
Donald Trump’s choice to be under-secretary of defence for policy at the Pentagon, Elbridge Colby, has put Australia’s policymakers on notice, warning that this...
March 07 2025
A ‘new look’ world requires a ‘new look’ National Security Strategy, but just what should that include?
Our world is changing right before our eyes and the status quo approach of “going with the flow” will no longer serve Australia well. Adapting to this environment...
March 06 2025
What sort of Defence policy do we need for the ‘new world’?
With the world becoming a more dangerous place, seemingly by the day, it is becoming clear that even our most recent defence policy developments leave a lot to be desired....
March 05 2025
Chinese cyber espionage activity on the rise, according to new report
Nation-state threats led by China have risen in 2024, with preventing a possible US response to an attack on Taiwan and disrupting the AUKUS alliance particular goals of the...
March 04 2025
