In my previous post, I examined whether the B-21 bomber being developed by the US Air Force could be a viable long-range strike option for Australia. It would provide our air force with immense capability. …
The most obvious impact of the New York Times’ publication of excerpts from a trove of documents outlining Beijing’s persecution and mass detention of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities is that the Chinese leadership can …
In part 1 of this series, I considered two of the narratives about great-power competition that have gained currency in Southeast Asia: that states are being pushed to make a choice between Washington and Beijing, …
Australia’s cybersecurity has never been more important to our economic prosperity and national security. At the same time, there are more cyber criminals and they are better resourced, and state actors have become more sophisticated …
Australia’s Defence Department is a big beast that’s hard to ride, much less steer. The complexities of kit, costs and strategy have made it the most inquiry-prone animal in Canberra—50 reviews in five decades (35 …
The world Bushfires continued to devastate the east coast of Australia this week; four deaths have been recorded so far and more than 250 homes have been lost in New South Wales. The extent to …
When we expressed concern about the Royal Australian Navy’s plan to fit the first of its new Attack-class submarines with an outmoded lead–acid main battery system in over a decade’s time, former RAN submarine engineer …
When the Australian law enforcement community continues to regularly break drug seizure records, it’s easy to assume that the supply of illicit drugs is being curtailed. Alarmingly, that’s not happening, and the government now needs …
Speaking at the Hudson Institute in Washington two weeks ago, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds affirmed Australia’s readiness to play a more active role in supporting US deterrence in the Indo-Pacific. Her remarks come at a …
Joseph Nye’s recent article on a declining Russia provided a stark outline of a country in decline in terms of economics, demography and global influence. According to Nye, Russia can only be an international spoiler …
The beat Drone force for WA police The Western Australian government is set to deploy a new fleet of drones to assist the state’s police in criminal investigations and search and rescue operations. Police Minister …
Although the rapid escalation of violence in Hong Kong seems terrifying enough, things may be about to get much worse. The communiqué of the recently concluded fourth plenum of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese …
The space age has gone through two paradigm shifts since the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957. Until the early 1990s, ‘Space 1.0’ was the province of government-run, taxpayer-funded space programs. Civil space agencies such …
With the global geopolitical centre of gravity shifting towards Asia, a pluralistic, rules-based Indo-Pacific order is more important than ever, including for America’s own global standing. So it was good news when, two years ago, …
Under the premiership of Shinzo Abe, Japan appears to have found its feet as a regional and global actor. By providing political stability and policy continuity at home, Abe’s governing Liberal Democratic Party, along with …
Indonesia and Australia have a vital role to play together in guiding the diverse nations of the Indo-Pacific towards a future of peace and stability. This is a region of accelerating economic power with over …
Language and rhetoric are important in a time of consequential power shifts and may even form a key front in Asia’s great-power rivalry—especially now, looking at US strategy in the region. Washington’s declared strategy of …
Two competing narratives might explain why China’s authoritarian communist rulers have so far displayed a relatively hands-off attitude towards the increasingly violent protests in Hong Kong, now in their sixth straight month and entering a …
Sea state The Australian government has gifted a Guardian-class patrol boat, the RSIPV Gizo, to the Solomon Islands. It’s the fifth Guardian-class boat that Austal Australia has delivered to the Australian Department of Defence under …
Extinction Rebellion protests calling for climate-change action can be annoying when they stop you in traffic or make idealistic but impracticable demands for policies that will keep the global temperature rise to under 1.5°C. And …