Australian Defence Force
AUKUS and intellectual property
While nuclear-powered submarines steal much of the media limelight, the AUKUS security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States is about much…
The Australia-New Zealand alliance in a war with China
A week before New Zealand declared a National State of Emergency for the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, Chris Hipkins made the pilgrimage to Canberra expected of…
Australia’s return to must-win wars
It’s been a long time since Australia fought to win a war. Famed military historian David Horner has tied it down to a specific date: 1 October 1943. Horner writes that from…
Australia–India: “Hands Across the Water”
When India’s External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar addressed the Lowy Institute in Sydney last month, it was significant for two reasons. It was his second trip to Australia…
Buying the wrong submarine
Nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) are technically incredible. They are akin to the Australian Navy’s conventionally powered Collins Class submarines but much faster, much…
Defence’s bullet for disaster isn’t silver, it’s brass
The declaration of a national emergency in response to unprecedented flooding in eastern Australia, and the deployment of 7,000 Australian Defence Force troops across the states…
AUKUS and the nuclear non-proliferation regime
Whether Australia leases, buys or builds nuclear-fuelled submarines, it will be the first non-nuclear state to do so. The recent announcement of AUKUS – the Trilateral Agreement…
The law when putting autonomous military platforms on a shopping list
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) does not currently deploy highly autonomous devices – whether weaponised or not. Existing devices tend to be remotely piloted and unarmed, or,…
Australia’s wartime seaborne trade: insights from before
China’s maritime warfare capabilities become more potent almost daily. Thomas Shugart’s new Lowy Institute paper explores this and then imagines the potential dangers arising for…
Sharpening deterrence
“If you want peace, prepare for war.” The idea that states can avoid war by strengthening their military is attractively simple, and the advice, attributed to Roman author…