Intelligence and security
Cat-astrophe! What happens when dirty-minded North Koreans meet Iranian nuclear purrfidy
New starters to the work of intelligence analysis are warned about the danger from “invisible cats”.The circular logic was brilliantly captured by the author C.S Lewis. “If there…
New Zealand's intelligence service warns of growing foreign interference risks
The New Zealand government’s willingness to talk frankly and openly about the growing number of national security challenges it faces took another step forward this week with the…
Right-sizing the terror threat
The government has warned that terrorist attacks in Australia are once again “probable”. The threat level was lowered to “possible” in November 2022 but had otherwise sat at …
Australia’s big tech defence cloud: Too big to fail?
In a world where digital infrastructure underpins modern military capabilities, the Australian Signals Directorate’s (ASD) recent partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to…
Julian Assange: Some consular cases are more equal than others
The presence at Julian Assange’s final court hearing in Saipan of Australia’s two most senior diplomatic heads of mission – Stephen Smith, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,…
Assange’s guilty plea “crucial” for many in US intelligence community: James Clapper, former DNI
The settlement reached to resolve the long-running legal saga of Julian Assange has one crucial aspect that, from my standpoint as the serving US Director of National Intelligence…
Quantum of silence
For most people, quantum computers are the stuff of science fiction. Based on shooting microwave photons at “qubits”, quantum computers are estimated to be far more powerful than…
Open sources and the future of spying
Understanding military-industrial production is critically important to the outcome of the Ukraine conflict. Just how many weapons can Russia produce? Making such an assessment…
Spy novels and unicorn hunting
“I wasted time and now time doth waste me.” Shakespeare’s rueful admonition (from Richard II) should nag at all of us who have expended energy on dead ends, red herrings or lost…
ASIO versus the A-team
ASIO Director General Mike Burgess began his 2024 Annual Threat Assessment by heralding the end of business as usual – or “BAU” as he put it.
“If terrorists and spies don’t do…