Early 2024 has not been kind to investors in critical minerals. Media outlets across Australia have run with headlines talking of ‘crash’, ‘crisis’ and ‘collapse’, with many blaming China and Indonesia for the slump— especially …
Australians should take pride in our prompt and generous response to Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Australia’s ongoing assistance to Ukraine, which is approaching one billion dollars, mostly in the form of …
This week’s unveiling of the expansionary blueprint for Australia’s future naval surface fleet brings with it a golden opportunity to revive defence cooperation between Australia and its occasionally ambivalent ally, New Zealand. Specifically, the announcement …
War in the Indo-Pacific is a real possibility. Increased competition, a growing trust deficit between global and regional powers and potential miscalculations heighten the danger. There needs to be a more engaged Australian discussion on …
Vital new dimensions overtake the ‘C’ cliches of Australia’s old relationship with India—cricket, curry and Commonwealth. The new C words are community and commerce and contest in the Indo-Pacific—and China. Community is a concept broad …
The forces of demand driven by the global energy transition and supply limited by geopolitics are coalescing to make yet another mineral globally ‘critical’—uranium. Australia’s rich economic geology has endowed it with the world’s biggest …
Over decades, a truism has matured that modern technology, surveillance systems and weapons have evolved to the point where surface warships will not survive in a high intensity conflict. So, given the major increase in …
Not for the first time, the central figure at this year’s Munich Security Conference was someone not in attendance. This year was Donald Trump’s turn. Like most participants at this annual ‘Davos of Defence’, I …
Back in 2013, when Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was facing bogus criminal charges, I recalled my great-grandfather, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, comparing Russia to a tub full of dough. ‘You put your hand down in …
Collaboration with private and public sector stakeholders is vital for Defence to develop its capabilities, strategies and policies in response to Australia’s changing strategic environment. Getting consultation right will be critical to that. Defence’s need …
The advent of generative AI (GenAI) has marked a significant milestone in the evolution of technology, pushing boundaries on what seemed possible. Leading American technology companies, like OpenAI and Anthropic, have been at the forefront …
The Enhanced Lethality Surface Combatant review has laid out plans for the Royal Australian Navy to grow larger, with more firepower in the coming decade to ensure that it can meet the challenges highlighted in the …