Northern Australia will decide whether Australia will sustain combat power where it matters most or fail to do so before tempo can be maintained. Policy has settled on the importance of geography. Execution will determine …
The world is a more dangerous place than it was two years ago. The priorities outlined in Australia’s new National Defence Strategy (NDS) and its accompanying spending plan, the Integrated Investment Program (IIP), reflect this. …
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 …
Japan is re-arming powerfully – but Taiwan can’t rely on its help. The island must prepare to hold out alone against a Chinese attempt at subjugating it, at least until international help can be marshalled. …
On New Year’s Eve in 1977, US president Jimmy Carter hailed Iran as ‘an island of stability in one of the more troubled regions of the world’, which he credited to Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s …
China’s newly released 15th five‑year plan offers a revealing insight into how Beijing understands future military power. Among quantum technologies, nuclear fusion energy, embodied intelligence and 6G communications, the plan identifies brain‑computer interfaces (BCIs) as …
Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) program is a spending priority in the 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) and the accompanying spending plan, the Integrated Investment Program (IIP). Both offer signs of progress and …
Iran has suffered greatly from US bombing, but it has been outmanoeuvring the superpower in the information domain. Each of the two countries is using internet culture against the other during hostilities that began on …
Australia’s reliance on imported urea is a clear strategic weakness that is allowing the instability in the Gulf region to directly affect our food production, transport systems and economic stability. Establishing a system that tracked …
China may claim neutrality and call for peace in the Middle East, but it is heavily invested in the Iran conflict. Perhaps because of its dependence on Iran for energy security, it is transferring dual-use …
Australia’s 2026 National Defence Strategy (NDS) marks a quiet but consequential shift from its predecessor, fundamentally redefining the political objective underpinning the Australian Defence Force’s five key tasks. While the 2024 strategy focused on maintaining …
Establishment of the Australian government’s proposed Advanced Capability Investment Fund (ACIF) is an overdue step. Up to A$500 million in public capital, boosted to at least A$1 billion with private investment, will be spent to …
Revisions to defence export controls adopted by Japan’s cabinet today demonstrate the urgency with which Tokyo is shaking up its post-war defence settings in the face of increasing international insecurity. This is good news for …
We may be living in an increasingly dangerous world, as Australia’s 16 April National Defence Strategy reaffirmed, but at least there is now more rigour and regularity in designing defence policy. In releasing the first …
If Australia had wanted early warning of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz that began last month, it needed only to have monitored maritime war-risk insurance premiums. These rose sharply well before physical interruption of …
So you thought that watching defence spending was complicated. Well, Australia’s new National Defence Strategy displays three different ways of counting it. There’s the Defence portfolio’s appropriation from government; the appropriation from government plus Defence’s …
The most consequential line in Washington’s new Cyber Strategy isn’t about defence. Released in early March 2026, the document makes clear that the United States intends to use offensive cyber operations as a routine instrument …
We no longer face a knowledge problem on critical minerals. We face a coordination failure, and the cost of that failure is already visible in delayed investment and persistent dependence. Governments understand the risk. Industry …
With the war in Iran, Australia is facing a second major external shock this decade. The lived experience of Covid-19 and the disruptions already evident from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted …
Australia’s updated defence capability spending plan has put strong emphasis on uncrewed air and underwater systems, strike weapons, and defence against advanced air and missile attack. The government released its spending plan, known as the …