Australia should recognise Somaliland, a territory that is claimed by Somalia but has asserted its independence since 1991. No country recognises Somaliland as independent, but if Australia led in doing so it could reinforce its …
The first, and maybe only, debate between the 45th and 46th presidents of the United States constituted a clear win for Donald Trump, as far more viewers focused on Joe Biden’s apparent physical and mental infirmities than Donald …
This week, global representatives to the United Nations in New York will review the latest draft of the UN Global Digital Compact (GDC). An initiative proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a framework …
Progressives have long counted on young people to champion their causes. Just five years ago, young Europeans voted for parties advocating climate action, social justice, and democratic reform. But this may no longer be a viable political …
We should look to Papua New Guinea as we open up Australian Defence Force recruitment to foreign citizens, and we may be able to learn from Britain on how to get the process right. Opening …
Even mindboggling actions typically have a logic that’s discoverable, whether Hitler declaring war on America after Pearl Harbor or Putin invading Ukraine. That’s why ‘strategic warning’—informed by ‘strategic warning intelligence’—is so important. Indeed, intelligence’s intuitive …
US Air Force chief of staff General David Allvin handed a surprise to industry on 13 June by suggesting that the service might not proceed as expected with its next combat aircraft, the one planned …
The recent visit by Premier Li Qiang was characteristic of what is becoming a clear trend in Chinese leaders’ travel, akin to the proverbial arsonist-cum-firefighter, who causes a problem they can then heroically fix. Li …
Against a gloomy strategic backdrop and painfully slow growth in Australian military capability, the government’s critics are urging it to commit more money on a tighter timescale to the nation’s defence. Money certainly matters, but …
Politicking by the Chinese Communist Party has blocked Taiwanese membership of Interpol since 1984, preventing the timely sharing of criminal information and intelligence. The absence of Taiwan in the world’s largest international police organisation weakens …
With the continuing implementation of AUKUS Pillar 1, it’s imperative that the culture of the budding Australian nuclear navy is built with care. Failure to lay the cultural foundation now would risk creating a force that’s …
Russia is developing a nuclear-weapons-based anti-satellite (ASAT) capability, and the Western democracies must work together to prevent Moscow from deploying such a weapon. This will be an immediate and important challenge, testing the next US …
While Australia and its critical-minerals partners agree that supply-chain diversity, security and sustainability are essential, inconsistent national policies continue to inhibit the development of the end-to-end supply chains they seek. In the dynamic landscape of …
Elevated to a military science during the Cold War, deterrence is a relatively new task for the Australian Defence Force. Traditionally, Australia’s armed forces have lacked the mass, range, lethality and ability to project force …
June has been a busy month for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a speech at Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he outlined his terms for peace negotiations with Ukraine and proposed establishing an alternative international security system …
Scams are no longer just a consumer fraud problem. While responsibility for scams in Australia primarily resides with regulators, sophisticated scams have become issues of counter-terrorism (CT) and transnational serious and organised crime (TSOC) that …
As the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, visits the United States for medical treatment on his knees, concerns over who will succeed him have become acute. While Tibetans around the world pray that …
America’s allies in the Indo-Pacific are getting pretty familiar with China’s grey-zone maritime behaviour, but the United States itself is ill-prepared for dealing with it. Yet it should be prepared, experts warned a US House …
Drugs, human trafficking, illegal gambling, cyber scams and money laundering are among the most prevalent criminal activities reported in Pacific islands, which were once almost free of organised crime. While these crime types have a …
The Australian Defence Force is ill prepared for a modern conflict. It is not doing nearly enough to ensure dominance of the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS), the kind of energy used in communications and by many …