Military protection has never existed simply to keep soldiers alive or platforms intact. Its enduring purpose has always been to preserve freedom of action: the ability of a force to manoeuvre, fight and impose its …
Articles by: "John Coyne"
The Victorian Joint Counter Terrorism Team’s investigation into an alleged arson attack on a Melbourne defence company has generated predictable debate about whether the incident constitutes terrorism. That question is important and, ultimately, one for …
Every significant development involving China now seems to trigger the same argument. A missile test, an investment proposal, an electric vehicle shipment, a port lease or critical mineral project quickly becomes another debate over whether …
The Australian Army and the Northern Territory government are aligned on defence strategy. The next step is implementation. The 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS), released on 16 April, established Australia’s strategic direction for an era …
China won the first critical minerals contest while Australia, India, Japan and the United States were still debating supply-chain resilience. Beijing’s advantage didn’t stem from superior mineral reserves. Australia alone holds globally significant deposits of …
This week’s visit to Australia by Japanese Minister of State for Economic Security Kimi Onoda offers the country an opportunity to ensure its natural abundance of critical minerals can play a key role in Japan’s …
China is telling us what to do and, for once, our complying would be rather helpful. In fact, China is telling us to do what it does. With its new tariff on Australian beef, which …
Australia needs to talk less about critical-mineral supply chains and more about specific minerals. Generic discussions about supply-chain resilience have become a substitute for strategic thinking. They encourage governments to speak in broad concepts while …
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is right to reject the proposed removal of religious motivation from Australia’s terrorism laws. The proposal by the nation’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, rests on a fundamental …
The proposed US Marine Corps war reserve stockpile at Bandiana should trigger a sharper Australian debate than the one now unfolding. Can Australia and its allies can turn those stocks into operational effect at the …
Australia has spent decades optimising infrastructure for efficiency. Strategic competition requires infrastructure optimised for endurance. Governments routinely invest billions of dollars in widening motorways, upgrading commuter corridors and improving urban transport networks. Those projects often …
Democratic governments have spent the past three years building resilience in critical minerals. Australia has announced a Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve. Japan continues to maintain strategic stockpiles through the Japan Organization for Metals and Energy …