CONTESTED GROUND: Shipping, supply chains and Australia’s exposure to a volatile system, with UNSW’s Professor Douglas Guilfoyle and Associate Professor Daniel Prior

Joint-capabilities
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By: Robyn Tongol

We are consistently reminded that Australia is a maritime trading nation and, as such, is exposed to all the vulnerabilities. So why haven’t we prepared accordingly?

We are consistently reminded that Australia is a maritime trading nation and, as such, is exposed to all the vulnerabilities. So why haven’t we prepared accordingly?

As the ceasefire in the Middle East collapses and both sides begin to once again ramp up their efforts to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz and the globally sensitive waterway, Australia is reminded of its inherent vulnerability to global maritime shocks.

To date, Australia’s response to these challenges has been to default to the organs and institutions established by the post-World War II order, seeking arbitration, mediation and resolution, however, those mechanisms no longer suffice.

 
 

In this episode of the Contested Ground podcast, host Steve Kuper is joined by UNSW’s Professor Douglas Guilfoyle and Associate Professor Daniel Prior, authors of the World in Transition report detailing the challenges which face Australia and now thrown into public focus as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.

The trio deep dive into the legal, economic and political challenges that have emerged as a result of the conflict in the Middle East and Australia’s mounting issues that will only continue to compound in the coming months.

They also discuss the ramifications of post-Cold War globalisation and the creation and vulnerability of the “just in time” supply chain ecosystems and what can be done to minimise our exposure to these challenges.

Finally, they also interrogate the phenomena of “friendshoring” and “reshoring” as solutions to bringing supply chains closer to home as a means of securing national interests and what models can be leveraged to change Australia’s self-inflicted vulnerability.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Contested Ground team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: PODCAST: Military drone racing, FPV integration and warfare trends, with Wing Commander Keirin Joyce
Episode 10: PODCAST: ADF promotions, Middle East aftershocks and dreaded Defence budget cuts
Episode 9: CONTESTED GROUND: Successive governments have failed to prepare Australia for the era of polycrisis, with Marc Ablong PSM, Geostrategic Risk Partners
Episode 8: SPOTLIGHT: Crewed, uncrewed, mass and increasing contemporary maritime combat capabilities, with Kevin ‘Q’ Quarderer of Leidos Australia and MAJGEN (Ret’d) Mick Ryan
Episode 7: PODCAST: Fleet readiness, future warfare and Australia’s naval strategy, with Commodore Antony Pisani
Episode 6: THE PROGRESS REPORT: Direct hit over Baghdad – the pilot who outflew a surface-to-air missile
Episode 5: SPOTLIGHT: Subs may be the centrepiece – but infrastructure, workforce and sovereign capability will decide the outcome, with Stantec’s Chris Waywell, Rob Sansbury and Robert Fogel
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: Apathy, complacency and the ‘Lucky Country’, Australia’s predicament is entirely self-inflicted, with Ben Dullroy
Episode 3: SPECIAL EDITION PODCAST: 125 years of the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army
Episode 2: CONTESTED GROUND: Australian resilience during a crisis and sovereign industrial capability