1 hour ago
Arms and influence: Southeast Asia’s missile powerplay with India
Defence exports have become a tangible component of India’s strategy in Southeast Asia.
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2 days ago
Why North Korea is modernising its conventional arsenal
Russia's war economy is fuelling Pyongyang's most ambitious military upgrade in decades. -
2 days ago
Australia all at sea on submarine cable risks
Aging fleets and a leadership void threaten the country's subsea cable resilience. -
11 Dec 2025
Solving the puzzle of China's defence spending
Can we accurately calculate China's defence spending now, and even a decade into the future? -
10 Dec 2025
Postcard from Solomon Islands: The legacy of RAMSI
More than two decades on, what are the lasting effects of a mission to save a failing state? -
2 Dec 2025
Want to fix Defence? Start by cutting bureaucratic bloat
Same people, same jobs, new structure – but somehow performance will improve. This story has been told before. -
2 Dec 2025
Why xenophobia won't solve South Korea's China problem
A rise in anti-Chinese sentiment damages Seoul’s image and fails to address the real issues of defence and security. -
27 Nov 2025
From Kabul to Kyiv, Trump’s pattern is clear – negotiate with enemies, sideline allies
Australia and other partners must plainly see that America’s commitment to defending democracies is fading fast. -
24 Nov 2025
Cheap weapons reshape the character of war
Railguns, nuclear-powered missiles and laser weapons could make sustained conflict more affordable. -
20 Nov 2025
What happens in Micronesia doesn’t stay in Micronesia
What dispersed basing reveals about US strategic priorities. -
20 Nov 2025
Delay as a weapon: Fighting – and winning – on the clock
From the South China Sea to the battlefields in Ukraine, negotiations that never end can give a false sense of stability. -
17 Nov 2025
The paradox of US military retrenchment in the Asia-Pacific
A partial retreat in the region could backfire, flaming tensions and emboldening China’s aggression. -
17 Nov 2025
Agency preservation drives the Indonesia–Australia security treaty
The echoes of history are evident – only this time, trust may not be as important as the context. -
14 Nov 2025
The Australia-Indonesia pact won’t shift the regional balance
But this diplomatic win for Australia does reflect warm neighbourly ties. -
14 Nov 2025
The rise and rise of geopolitical risk
Volatile geopolitics creates risks for business. A new industry is emerging in Australia to meet the demand for intelligence and advice. -
13 Nov 2025
Preparing for when disaster and conflict converge
What Australia must learn for its defence posture following record flooding and typhoons in Vietnam and the Philippines. -
13 Nov 2025
“Anchored in the region” – What the new Australia–Indonesia security treaty really means
The pact strengthens trust between neighbours who don’t always agree, without abandoning Indonesia’s non-alignment. -
7 Nov 2025
A wall rebuilt in Europe – this one for drones
Russia’s threats spurred plans for continental air defence, but squabbles over control and capability threaten the project. -
5 Nov 2025
Beyond the headlines: the risk of stereotyping women in uniform
A class action on behalf of female ADF members puts a spotlight on the media portrayal of military women. -
4 Nov 2025
With Sanae Takaichi, “Japan is back” is back
Coalition politics, tax resistance and ambitious defence spending goals will require the new PM to strike a fine balance. -
4 Nov 2025
Beyond AUKUS: The maritime strategy Australia needs
Consolidating maritime departments, and coordination across defence, civil and industry is where the wins will be made. -
3 Nov 2025
The logic behind South Korea’s nuclear submarine deal
South Korea is no longer merely buying American security; it is building in interdependence. -
31 Oct 2025
Solomon Islands can have a military, but it shouldn’t need one
If Pacific security initiatives are done right, the region’s non-conventional threats can be better addressed. -
30 Oct 2025
Sunken ships, rising risks: Pacific shipwrecks and maritime security
Securing the region goes well beyond military bases and undersea surveillance. -
29 Oct 2025
Military training lessons from Ukraine
Ukraine has transformed its military training regime in the midst of war. There is much to learn from its experiences. -
28 Oct 2025
America shouldn’t pivot to Asia
More US military investment in Asia has escalated tensions and isn’t necessary for US or allied interests. -
23 Oct 2025
South Korea is on track to become a defence powerhouse
Seoul is quietly building a reputation as one of the world’s biggest weapons dealers. What’s behind the push? -
21 Oct 2025
What Trump told Albanese about Taiwan matters more than AUKUS
False confidence can breed dangerous assumptions in any US stand-off with China. -
20 Oct 2025
The Pukpuk Treaty is a defence deal PNG’s youth can prosper from
Structured opportunity for PNG’s population matters more than geopolitical debates about this partnership. -
15 Oct 2025
Building trust: the real work in Australia-India defence ties
Measurable outcomes, not strategic rhetoric, will determine whether bilateral relations prosper. -
14 Oct 2025
AUKUS doesn’t need protection from politics
Democracy works best when defence debates are transparent. -
13 Oct 2025
Australia’s role in bringing international criminals to justice
Stepping up efforts to investigate and prosecute perpetrators on Australian soil will build credibility at home and abroad. -
10 Oct 2025
The Liberal Party’s coming foreign policy split
Immigration, climate, trade and China are fracturing the conservative side of politics into rival camps with competing worldviews. -
9 Oct 2025
Takaichi and Prabowo can redefine the Japan-Indonesia relationship
Tokyo’s conservative turn meets Jakarta’s military modernisation, transforming a development partnership into dual-track ties. -
9 Oct 2025
India’s Rajnath Singh in Canberra: Turning warm words into a shared maritime operating model
Real-time information sharing and coordinated patrols would deliver tangible benefits to the Indo-Pacific, not just rhetoric. -
9 Oct 2025
PNG should ratify the Pukpuk Treaty and move beyond a self-limiting mantra of “friends to all”
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26 -
7 Oct 2025
The Pukpuk Treaty is about keeping China at bay, not military strength
The pact with PNG aims to preserve Australia’s regional standing by making Chinese military access harder. -
2 Oct 2025
Delays on the Pukpuk treaty with PNG were Australian missteps, not failures
The Papua New Guinea agreement represents a landmark not just for its signatories but the region as a whole. -
2 Oct 2025
Australia’s AI choice: Standards setter or technology taker?
If Australia adopts artificial intelligence built to foreign specifications, we tacitly accept an invisible leash. -
1 Oct 2025
Manila’s lonely island at the centre of Taiwan contingency planning
At the Philippines’ northernmost point, troops guard waters that could determine Taiwan’s fate. -
1 Oct 2025
Australian conflict prevention – from statements to strategy?
Australian tunnel vision on potential China–US conflict may blind us to pressing risks closer to home. -
30 Sep 2025
Time for an ASEAN agreement on lethal AI
The use of autonomous weapons in the region’s flashpoints could narrow the window for human intervention to seconds. -
30 Sep 2025
Philippines: Marcos in the middle
While regularly seen as “pro-American”, the Marcos Jr administration has also embraced a more multipolar vision of the world that goes beyond the dictates of any superpower. -
25 Sep 2025
Airspace chaos: European eyes on the skies
Copenhagen and Oslo drone sightings, Russian airspace violations and European airport cyber attacks will loom large over a meeting of EU leaders in the Danish capital next week. -
23 Sep 2025
Home on the Range: The Australian Army prepares for the future
The 2024 National Defence Strategy provided clarity of purpose for an Army in the midst of rapid change. -
23 Sep 2025
Dogfighting between satellites? Recognising space as a domain of war
Why Australia will likely follow Washington’s lead on military space doctrine. -
22 Sep 2025
China’s Victory Day parade: A tale of two audiences
Beijing’s military showcase revealed the challenge of projecting strength abroad while maintaining confidence at home. -
19 Sep 2025
The Trump–Albanese meeting: Good news – he’s just not that into us
When it comes to Australia, Trump’s focus is elsewhere, and that’s not all bad. -
17 Sep 2025
I spent five days observing a joint military exercise between Australia and the Philippines. Here’s what I learned.
Joint training brings depth to an important bilateral relationship and allows troops to rehearse for what may lie ahead. -
17 Sep 2025
Australia-PNG: When mutual defence becomes mutual embarrassment
It was always going to be a hurdle for PNG to change its non-aligned foreign policy.