China military watch

In this edition, we take a look at how the Chinese military is preparing for the future land combat environment. Unlike China’s relatively cogent thinking on future warfare in the air, maritime, cyber and space …

Australia’s China problem

Australia’s China problem—official contacts frozen and many of our exports under siege—is now gaining attention far beyond our shores. Much of the world, given stark evidence of the economic havoc that China’s displeasure can wreak, …

Hardened bases needed for ADF’s new hardware

The force that Australia’s defence organisation is building will be the most powerful and capable that the nation has ever fielded. The Australian Defence Force’s massive build-up will include the acquisition of a host of …

Biden’s chance to revive nuclear arms control

As President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris prepare to be sworn in on 20 January, there’s an expectation of US re-engagement with multilateralism and a return to some semblance of normality, stability, continuity and …

ASEAN’s productive year

Against all odds, Vietnam has concluded its chairmanship of ASEAN with the signing of the world’s largest trade agreement. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership of all 10 ASEAN members states and China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and …

Teddy Sheean, a far from ordinary seaman

The idea of awarding medals retrospectively to soldiers, sailors and fliers who died courageously decades ago is fraught and complex because wars have left in their wake so many whose heroic deaths were unseen and …

Australia’s space sector should aim higher

Australia’s space sector is making steady progress towards establishing a sovereign space capability, both for civil and commercial roles and for defence and national security tasks. It’s also continuing to play a crucial role in …