February
China’s expedition shows Australia must become a naval power
To safeguard our vital interests at sea, we must demonstrate self-reliance within our alliances, and develop and resource a comprehensive maritime strategy.
November 2024
No ambassador, we are not ready to get tight with China on defence
While the relationship must progress, glossing over the facts and real risks is dangerous – Canberra and Beijing are far from ready for closer defence ties.
October 2024
How a sunken ship underlines our hollow defence preparedness
The loss of a New Zealand naval vessel reflects the same decline of niche maritime capability that Australia suffers from.
August 2024
Next AUSMIN needs to turn alignment into outcomes
This year’s ministerial consultations moved away from defence announcements. But progress on many key initiatives is yet to deliver tangible results.
July 2024
Australia goes missing as Red Sea crisis deepens
The Houthis have been remarkably persistent in disrupting global trade. But there is a deeper strategic cost to Australia as well.
There is no catastrophic failure of AUKUS Plan A
The “optimal pathway” may not run exactly to plan, but the risk is known, is being managed, and all three partners have demonstrated their commitment to the process.
June 2024
Time to promote a woman as deputy chief of Navy
The officer second in charge of the Royal Australian Navy will shortly rotate, opening the way for a historic first appointment of a female.
May 2024
Here are the facts about Australia’s nuclear submarine program
The frequent negativity among Australian commentators is detached from the reality of the success to date of the plan’s progress, and the wider strategic reasons for the project. Here are the facts.
China’s grim pattern in South China Sea needs a collective response
A quiet tussle is going on over China’s ambitions to control all of its neighbouring seas. Affected countries need to unite before China miscalculates.
Minimise capability gap while waiting for the new fleet to surface
Ten years from now, Australia will have its most potent navy in decades. In the interim, it will have the least capable in more than half a century.
April 2024
Defence strategy fills gaps but misses holes
We need to move towards a wider conversation around national security and mobilisation, and be clear on the vulnerability in our capabilities until the late 2030s.
March 2024
Call out China’s maritime aggression by its real name
China intruded into this week’s ASEAN summit with fresh clashes at sea. It’s dangerous not to acknowledge the real source of the risk.
February 2024
Awakening of a maritime nation 50 years in the making
It is a historic day when the government has finally agreed to support an enhanced surface combatant fleet capability for the Royal Australian Navy.
Why is Defence so little involved in the great defence debate?
In times of global tension, the public needs to understand the purpose of defence, and its costs. But that is hampered by a habit of public risk aversion among the defence leadership.
October 2023
Australia cannot stay silent on China’s bullying of the Philippines
The latest maritime incident in the South China Sea warrants an unequivocal statement on escalating aggression and following through on promised joint patrols.