As so often, the Australian Defence Force wanted the exquisite solution. It wanted uncrewed battlefield reconnaissance aircraft of a design that wasn’t operational anywhere and would achieve performance that other countries didn’t have. And the …
In a commentary published by The New York Times in April, J D Vance, now the Republican vice-presidential nominee, proposed a strategy of ‘defence’ for Ukraine that was nothing but a recipe for defeat. There …
In Australia, anti-intellectualism has become something of a national pastime. We are champions of the common folk and heartily reject political and academic elitism. Cutting down the tall poppies is standard, and lauded, practice. But …
The Manhattan Project, a response Germany’s combination of innovation and military power, unleashed nuclear physics on the world. Its success positioned the United States at the forefront of progress in critical technologies and demonstrated that …
Australia differs from most other countries whose governance is based on Western precepts, because the nations that are most central to our external focus have historical, ethnic and religious backgrounds different to our own. Their …
It’s early days, but the signs are strong that Taiwan’s new government will insist on much more of a porcupine strategy for national defence than many officers in the country’s hidebound armed forces have been willing …
Have depressed rare earths prices been engineered by the Chinese state to snuff out non-Chinese rivals before they get going? Or do they simply reflect a weak market, with demand rising more slowly than was …
Cyber defences can be alert to malware. It’s much harder to be alert to intruders who use the targeted system’s own resources against the owner. In cybersecurity, such attack methods are called ‘living off the …
Despite India’s ardent wish, the world is nowhere close to becoming a multipolar system with India as one of the poles, or centres of power. Instead, today’s global system is best described as partially unipolar …
Australia must develop robust, interdepartmental and whole–of–nation exercises based on potential conflict scenarios or it risks discovering when lives are at stake that it’s ill–prepared. The Covid-19 pandemic and increasingly destructive natural disasters have demonstrated …
The members of AUKUS should expand the security pact to include South Korea. If they do, they will deepen and strengthen the partnership, enhance its technological capabilities and make the Indo-Pacific region more secure. South …
US President Joe Biden’s decision to step aside as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate this fall has transformed American politics. It caps a historic July in the United States, one defined by far-reaching Supreme Court …
Australia’s defence planners should carefully weigh the risks posed to its vital maritime trade connections by a persistent Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean. Some precautions must be taken now, as the need to …
The Crowdstrike software outage disrupted airlines, banks, supermarkets and other major services—causing significant inconvenience for millions of people worldwide. It has prompted many to marvel that so many global operations and organisations rely on so …
The recent CrowdStrike outage was not just a technical hiccup; it was a seismic tremor that exposed the brittle foundations on which Australia’s digital economy stands. A faulty security update, a false positive— and suddenly thousands of …
Armenia’s intention to withdraw from a Russia-led security alliance of ex-Soviet states appears on the surface to offer an opportunity for the European Union, Turkey and Iran to expand their influence and pursue their own …
Australia should work more closely with Pacific Islanders and Australia’s Pasifika diaspora to refresh our development assistance in the region, help build stronger and better-connected communities, protect victims of gender-based violence, and create real change …
Former President Donald Trump was already the frontrunner to win November’s presidential election, with the assassination attempt on 13 July and his defiant response only increasing his chance of victory. Global capitals, including Canberra, are …
‘Only thunder, no rain’ is the Chinese saying. Plenty of serious-sounding noise has come from Japan in the past few years about the need to back Taiwan against conquest by China, but it isn’t turning …
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party has accepted the resignation of one of its own most highly ranked members, former foreign minister Qin Gang, highlighting Xi Jinping’s continuing lack of trust in some …