Defence will continue to operate within a tight financial straightjacket as it executes the massive redirection demanded by last year’s Defence Strategic Review and the AUKUS program, with cuts to existing projects expected to make …
Everyone knows illicit drug use in Australia is worsening, but wouldn’t it be helpful if we had precise numbers for gauging the scale of the problem? How useful it would be if we could measure …
The European Union’s spending rules and public-procurement processes are plainly inadequate to the threat posed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. If the World War II Allies had been subject to such strictures, they would …
As we celebrate World Intellectual Property Day today on 26 April, let’s remember all the innovation that has been stolen. While innovators have had their intellectual property stolen for centuries, in modern times they face …
Early misinformation identified a mentally ill man who stabbed 14 people in Sydney on March 13, killing six, as a Muslim or Jewish extremist. These falsehoods highlight the commonplace way in which Muslim and Jewish …
Don’t be surprised if another complicated term soon enters Australian discussions about security and defence. It’s ‘strategic simultaneity’—simultaneous strategic competition arising across multiple regions and domains. Strategic simultaneity has been an important part of US …
A global race is underway to unlock the transformative potential of quantum technology, the next major leap in human innovation. Governments around the world are strategically investing in research and development, while big tech firms …
A number of commentators in Australia have lately made rash pronouncements about the demise of US submarines, alleging that innovative technologies will make the vessels vulnerable. Others have been arguing that US nuclear-powered submarines are …
Strike capability featured in the 2024 update of Australia’s Integrated Investment Plan (IIP), the equipment spending program that accompanied the National Defence Strategy (NDS) published on 17 April. But the strike capability acquisitions were all …
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb has said it was ‘obvious’ that the Bondi shopping centre killer, Joel Cauchi, was targeting women. The Victorian town of Ballarat is reeling after three women were murdered within a …
Humanity again finds itself in an age of war. European political and military leaders speak increasingly of being in a ‘pre-war’ period. Worrying signs abound of an impending major war in the Middle East. From …
Developments in nascent technology areas such as quantum computing, biotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI), are predominately happening in the private sector, where there is a higher concentration of talent, capital and competition. The United …
Last week’s release of the National Defence Strategy (NDS) and its accompanying Integrated Investment Program (IIP) gave only passing mention to one of the most important operational domains for the Australian Defence Force—space. Altogether, they …
The Quad partners often discuss the Indo-Pacific, but they hold differing views on what exactly it is. That disparity has tangible effects, such as Australia’s diminished interest in piracy in the western Indian Ocean compared …
Eventually, beyond the Gaza agony, Israelis and Palestinians must talk. To move beyond war, they must embrace ‘the conversation of mankind’, a phrase that’s the pivot of a new book by one of Britain’s leading …
The Chinese government announced the establishment of a new arm of its military, the Information Support Force (ISF), on 19 April. The ISF is tasked with strategic support for network information systems that are under …
The 2024 National Defence Strategy (NDS) reiterates the importance of a strategy of deterrence by denial suggested in the 2023 Defence Strategic Review. It also reiterates air, sea and land capability decisions already made to …
Turkey’s newly strengthened relationship with Somalia raises the prospect of Ankara’s further involvement in Indian Ocean affairs, probably to the benefit of the West. With Turkey now tilting towards the West after a period of …
AUKUS Pillar 2 has a PR problem—and no, not just among sceptical regional partners. Compared with evident progress on Australia’s future submarine capabilities under Pillar 1, analysts have often decried a lack of detail or …
We can do much more with the reserves. The Australian Defence Force reserves are an underutilised resource with great potential to contribute to Australian security. The 2023 Defence Strategic Review (DSR) warned that Australia is …