The sinking by submarine attack of the Iranian frigate Dena in the Indian Ocean on 4 March is a blunt reminder that maritime war does not respect the tidy geographic boundaries favoured in policy frameworks. …
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Unexpectedly, today’s signature weapon is the Iranian Shahed drone now in use in wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. These drones are not just a distant problem. Their range means that, if launched from …
Antarctica rose to the surface of strategic competition this week. It appeared prominently in both the Australia–New Zealand Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations (ANZMIN) and in China’s new five-year plan. Antarctic affairs have long been …
Paranoia about fuel supplies has suddenly entered Australia’s mainstream debate, as Canberra wakes up and starts counting how many frigates and destroyers the Royal Australian Navy actually has. It is a familiar pattern. Australia rediscovers …
China’s military budget increases keep painting a picture that’s inconsistent with the country’s claims to a defensive policy. The rise for calendar 2026 would be 7.0 percent, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told the annual meeting …
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s enthusiasm that the country might soon overcome its reliance on rare-earth imports drew attention as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) sought public support before the 8 February lower house …
In the second week of the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, Australia on 10 March announced a limited contribution to help under-attack Gulf states detect and shoot down Iranian missiles and …
Australia and Taiwan sit at different ends of the Indo-Pacific, but they confront the same underlying problem: deep digitisation has converted efficiency into exposure. Supply-chain cyberattacks in the Indo-Pacific are no longer isolated incidents. They …
Beijing’s primary concern in a Taiwan contingency is US intervention—but its planning would not stop there. China has the capacity to pressure key US allies, including Australia, even while focusing on the United States itself. …
Ukraine’s most significant success in fighting off Russia has arguably been in the Black Sea. It forced Russia’s Black Sea Fleet to withdraw from occupied Crimea and effectively confined much of it to Novorossiysk, more …
The character of risk is shifting. It’s less linear, less confined to jurisdictional boundaries and less responsive to enforcement alone. These conditions do not simply increase the volume of risk; they fundamentally alter its character. …
The 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics were arguably the greatest ever. Their preparation also kickstarted the last quarter century of Australian national security capability building—considerably before 9/11, to which Australia was able to respond from more …