Five years ago, Australia’s recently elected Liberal–National Party government released a report called Towards responsible government. Produced by an ad hoc National Commission of Audit, it purported to review ‘the scope and efficiency of the …
The Australian Defence Force’s equipment is good and getting better. But the ADF’s current and planned force structures have some significant limitations in their ability to deliver some crucial military effects. In an era of …
When Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi delivered her traditional annual foreign policy review recently, she made a point of referring to last month’s separatist slaughter of 19 construction workers in rebellious Papua. ‘Indonesia’, she declared, …
Will the European Parliament elections this May result in a political revolution? Populist and nationalist parties certainly hope so. They are promising not just to overturn the Brussels establishment, but also to end the free …
For political tragics, there’s not much than can surprise about John Howard. His consistency reaches towards the rigid. But here’s a statement to puzzle tragics: J.W. Howard—when in power—was a good, pragmatic multilateralist. During nearly …
It’s a public holiday here in Australia, so The Strategist team is taking a short break. We’ll be back tomorrow with the usual program of analysis and commentary.
There’s a famous countdown on at this time of year in Australia, and at The Strategist we thought we should jump on the bandwagon with a list of our most popular articles from 2018. Unlike …
In a recent Strategist post, Mike Kalms and Adam Lockyer made the case for defence white papers (DWPs) to be produced on a fixed cycle. A set schedule would, they argue, provide certainty for both …
The Royal Australian Navy has stopped its longstanding program of using pressurised submarine escape training to teach crews how to exit a stricken vessel. The decision to stop submariners practising escapes using a tower containing …
On 17 January, US President Donald Trump went down to the Pentagon to speak at the launch of his administration’s long-awaited Missile Defense Review (MDR). The MDR is the previously missing fourth wheel of the …
The most recent meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Singapore last November suggests that the US, India, Japan and Australia regard the initiative as a geostrategic …
A hacker has been jailed in the UK over his role in a massive cyberattack in Liberia in 2016, in a case which is likely to be a sign of things to come as hackers …
The World Economic Forum has released its Global Risks Report 2019 to coincide with its annual meeting taking place this week in Davos, Switzerland. For the third year in a row, climate change and climate …
China has become something of a punching bag for Western criticism. At the East Asia Summit in Singapore last year, US Vice President Mike Pence insinuated that China is pushing ‘empire and aggression’ in the …
In the midst of the discussion about the Royal Australian Navy’s future frigate and submarine programs, it’s important to acknowledge the significance of their continuous nature and to remember that they have design and building …
Japan’s decision to deploy the short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the joint strike fighter, the F-35B, from its Izumo-class warships will transform them into what many predicted they would eventually become—small aircraft …
Over recent years, a somewhat geeky debate has emerged among the exponents of deterrence and assurance. Although the discussion typically occurs between Americans and nationals of an allied country, it’s overly simplistic to describe it …
The goal of two states for two nations, living side by side within secure borders, has been the foundation of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process since the 1993 Oslo Accords. But for all intents and purposes, …
In his annual New Year’s address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he is committed to denuclearisation but will change course if the US persists with ‘sanctions and pressures’. The statement confirmed that all steps …
The regional security situation is evolving faster than anyone expected and that’s driving the Royal Australian Navy’s rebalance from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific, says RAN chief Mike Noonan. ‘Our government’s focus on the …