Australian Defence Force
Australia’s seaborne trade: Essential but undefendable
Thomas Shugart’s excellent Lowy analysis Australia and the growing reach of China’s military is by far the best thing I’ve read on the specific defence implications for Australia…
The new citizen soldier
Events this year have meant that uniformed members of the Australian Defence Force are more visible to the public than ever. But they are also more vocal. When Kabul fell to the…
Preparing Australia to respond to disasters – at home and abroad
The Covid pandemic relentlessly rolls on but prescribed burns have now also begun across Australia as the next bushfire season rapidly approaches. Such actions highlight that…
Policy Briefs
Australia's South China Sea Challenges
Canberra needs to work with Southeast Asia to address looming South China Sea challenges from China and the US
How far would Australia go in defence of the rules-based order?
Last month, I alerted Interpreter readers to a new Lowy Institute debate feature on America and the Rules-based Order. In my comments about the debate, I said that Australia faced…
The Afghan inquiry and the question of responsibility
The politics in the fallout over the release of the long-awaited Brereton report into allegations of war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan threatens to overtake the…
Australia’s mission in Afghanistan – what was it again?
Back in 2012, Afghanistan mostly only featured in Australian news bulletins at those moments an Australian soldier was killed. The war was otherwise a story in the background, a…
Commentary
War crimes report: Lest we forget 39 Afghan civilians murdered by soldiers in Aussie uniforms
Originally published in The Australian.
Analyses
The Australia–India Strategic Partnership: Accelerating Security Cooperation in the Indo–Pacific
Shared concerns about China's rise have propelled Australia and India to deepen their security ties
Hidden gems in the 2020 Force Structure Plan
The recent release of the Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan provided an outline of the government’s defence policy and capability priorities for the next decade…