The first question to consider when thinking about a major defence program such as AUKUS is this: defence against whom? Australian governments have given two different answers to this question over the years. Prime minister …
Articles by: "Michael Pezzullo"
Before 2020, Australian defence strategy was predicated on a planning assumption that we would have at least 10 years’ warning of an impending war. This would give us the crucial time that we would need …
From 2027, Australia will host under the AUKUS agreement a US submarine force at HMAS Stirling, near Perth. It will be known as Submarine Rotational Force–West (SRF–W) and will consist of up to four US …
Australian official thought regarding the defence of Australia has been more independently minded than is portrayed by certain academics and commentators who, often not possessing a deep understanding of the history of Australian strategy, have …
Anzac Day signifies tragedy. It speaks to futility and loss, the death of young Australians in their prime. We try to make sense of this ‘senseless loss’ by honouring their courage and extolling Anzac values. We …
Beijing deployed a naval task group to the waters around Australia for three related reasons. First, to demonstrate the reach and potency of Chinese sea power and to put Australia on notice that it is …
Australia hosts several joint Australian-American facilities and provides the US with privileged access to a range of functions that are performed at Australian facilities. As a consequence, Australia is deeply integrated into US strategies of …
Former Australian prime minister Paul Keating argues that Defence Minister Richard Marles has ceded power to the US in a ‘dark moment’ by confirming that Australia’s geography would be crucial to the US in any war …
After the federal elections of 2022 and 2025, a certain supposed truth is taking root in Australian political discourse—namely, that discussion of potential conflict involving China is politically disadvantageous, because it is likely to have …
There’s a way for Australia to strengthen its case for the US presidential certification it will need for acquiring Virginia-class submarines. It should do so by accelerating construction of a planned shipyard in Western Australia …
On 14 May 1986, Paul Keating gave one of the most consequential political interviews in Australian history. He was interviewed by John Laws of 2UE, in the pre-internet era when talkback radio was dominant, and …
On 25 April 2021, I published an internal all-staff Anzac Day message. I did so as the Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, which is responsible for Australia’s civil defence, and its resilience in …