Feature Insights

As the Australian Defence Force’s F-35A fleet approaches full operational capability, the US Congress and Pentagon mull upgrading the Block 4 propulsion systems with adaptive engine technology

January 30 2023

Opinion: The F-35 program is the most successful weapons program in history. In large part, this has been due to the non-partisan partnership between...

Setting the scene for building an Australian strategic umbrella

Since the end of the Cold War, much of the world has operated under the aegis of the US strategic umbrella. Now, in an increasingly contested and multipolar world, can...

January 27 2023

Conflict often results from energy insecurity

Opinion: With growing concerns about the slow collapse of globalisation and the “just-in-time” system of commodity and product delivery, questions have been raised about...

January 25 2023

Defence needs to think more like a start-up

Opinion: Last year has taught us that we cannot be complacent in funding our defence sectors — one need only look at the invasion of Ukraine to see how possible global...

January 25 2023

Invest in long-term defence, diversify supplies: US Army Chief of Staff

General James McConville, the US Army Chief of Staff has issued a warning for the US and Western allies responding to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, with broader relevance...

January 24 2023

Biggest fleet almost always wins: US naval expert

Retired US Navy Captain Sam Tangredi has issued a concerning warning for the US Navy and its allied partners: “In naval warfare, a smaller fleet of superior quality...

January 23 2023

Asking others to do the heavy lifting on our security is just plain wrong

Former diplomat David Livingstone has launched a scathing attack on the AUKUS submarine deal, calling for it to be scrapped, citing concerns over Australia’s national...

January 20 2023

Industry critical to allied naval interchangeability

While maximising interoperability and capability aggregation has long been identified as a key focus for the Australian and US militaries, interchangeability has now emerged...

January 19 2023

General-purpose frigates as a means of beefing up Australia’s maritime capabilities

With a growing recognition that Australia’s naval capabilities are underprepared and “under gunned” in light of a rapidly evolving regional threat...

January 18 2023

Renewed US calls for ‘whole-of-nation’ approach to national security

The era of unbridled hybrid warfare now sweeping across Europe and parts of the Indo-Pacific has seemingly left the West at a significant disadvantage when facing down peer...

January 16 2023

It is never too early to start planning for our next destroyers

AUKUS has opened the door for truly transformational collaboration and capability development for the three partners, so, should Australia partner with the US to develop a...

January 13 2023

Positioning for success: Avoiding a pyrrhic victory over Taiwan

What was once considered a given victory in Taiwan now appears to be a tighter, bloodier contest according to the CSIS, so how does the US and its allies avoid a pyrrhic...

January 12 2023

CSIS wargames reveal bloody nose ‘win’ for allies over Taiwan

A new wargame conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies revealed a startling outcome for both sides in the event of an invasion of Taiwan.

January 11 2023

New US study details plans to counter rising Chinese fleet power

In light of growing concern about the rising qualitative and quantitative capacity of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and the now well documented limitations of the US...

January 10 2023

Can we have ‘impactful projection’ without ‘impactful presence’?

While there is a growing emphasis on long-range strike as a form of impactful Australian projection in the region, are we overlooking the importance of an impactful...

January 09 2023

Asymmetric warfare as an antidote to Chinese aggression

Outsized and outgunned, Taiwan must turn to asymmetric warfare to maintain independence and raise the human cost of any invasion on the island.

January 06 2023

Is China really a revisionist power? Assessing Chinese participation in intergovernmental organisations

Is China a revisionist state, or is it working within international governance architectures such as the United Nations to maintain continued economic growth?

January 05 2023

Pentagon’s UFO office inundated with unexplained sightings

Ever wondered whether humans were alone in the universe? A new office at the US Pentagon has received hundreds of reports of unidentified flying objects since it was set up...

December 22 2022