2 days ago
Indonesia can’t keep rowing between reefs
After a week hedging in all directions, the limits on Prabowo’s approach are becoming clear.
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2 days ago
Japan aims for a shipbuilding revival
A trillion yen and a bold production target won’t beat China – but Japan could matter where it counts for the US Navy. -
16 Apr 2026
The 2026 National Defence Strategy delivers more of the same
Modest spending, welcome reforms, and a defence minister resistant to outside contributions. -
16 Apr 2026
Jakarta risks flying blind
Indonesia’s “independent and active” doctrine is being tested by signs of drift. -
14 Apr 2026
Marcos’s overture to China masks anxiety about US reliability
The Iran war has prompted US allies in Asia, like the Philippines, to reassess their military reliance on Washington -
13 Apr 2026
Is the security narrative itself a threat to Antarctic stability?
After more than six decades of peace on the continent, Australia must flex its diplomatic muscle to maintain the status quo. -
10 Apr 2026
There’s a bear in there: Russia in the Indo-Pacific
A Russian naval visit to Jakarta barely rated a mention in Australia. -
9 Apr 2026
Mutual benefits in a Ukraine–South Korea partnership
A closer relationship with Kyiv would offer Seoul both military and economic benefits, including battle-tested drone technology. -
9 Apr 2026
Be informed, not just alert
Australia’s crisis-driven communication is a symptom of the deeper problem: a failure to treat statecraft as conversation. -
9 Apr 2026
New Zealand’s defence reckoning: From shelter to stormfront
A pivot to spending 2% of GDP and combat-capable rhetoric signals a deeper shift in how NZ sees the world. -
1 Apr 2026
America’s nuclear umbrella is fraying in the Indo-Pacific
With Washington’s Cold War deterrence logic no longer adequate, the region’s states are seeking alternatives. -
31 Mar 2026
Iran: A land war illusion
Deploying ground forces without defined political objectives leads to failure. -
30 Mar 2026
In Ukraine, ground robots are increasingly going on the offensive
The drone war has moved to the ground, and the results are already reshaping frontline tactics. -
30 Mar 2026
After America: How Southeast Asia can defend itself
A Taiwan contingency won’t leave Southeast Asia untouched. The region needs a defence strategy built on its own terms. -
26 Mar 2026
Australia is running on empty – in more ways than one
Australia holds just 38 days of petrol reserves and still treats geographic distance as a substitute for genuine resilience. -
24 Mar 2026
Conventional ICBMs could end Australia’s geographic sanctuary
And with it, threaten the logic of the US alliance. -
23 Mar 2026
The security gap Australia can’t afford to ignore
The difference between how men and women judge expertise in national security isn’t about knowledge but perceived authority. -
23 Mar 2026
The Al Minhad strike and Australia’s vulnerability in the Gulf
Australia is more exposed to hostile action in the Middle East than the government would like to admit. -
16 Mar 2026
In the mirror of the future
Assessing a world of shifting alliances and nervous great powers. -
16 Mar 2026
Australia, Japan and New Zealand should double down on collaboration
Shared threats and defence priorities make a formal trilateral framework a logical next step. -
13 Mar 2026
India’s “No War No Peace” plan for maritime security
India’s latest naval doctrine recognises the ocean is always a contested space. -
10 Mar 2026
Formula One lessons for the Australian Defence Force
The drive to survive spans the worlds of car racing and warfare. -
6 Mar 2026
Three Indo-Pacific allies, one week, and three different calculations on display
Seoul disputes, Canberra proceeds, Manila hedges: how Washington’s alliance network is differentiating under pressure. -
6 Mar 2026
“Autocrats fear women” – Australia’s foreign policy should act on that
The same forces attacking women’s rights are undermining the rules-based order that Australia depends on. -
3 Mar 2026
What the Iran war means for the US-China balance
Even in the best-case scenario, China losing a friend in Tehran won’t be the blow Trump might assume. -
2 Mar 2026
Can the US train enough welders to win a war?
Budgets and force plans mean little if no one can surge production when it counts. -
27 Feb 2026
Hard conversations on Australia’s defence
The three uncomfortable truths that Australia needs to confront about the gap between perception and reality. -
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20 Feb 2026
India’s fleet review was as much diplomacy as pageantry
The country is expanding maritime influence without formal alliances. -
19 Feb 2026
The Chinese warships Australians never got to debate
The silence around a second Chinese naval deployment near Australia cost the public a chance to understand the risks. -
19 Feb 2026
Who’s afraid of Diego Garcia?
Behind Trump’s “DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA” bluster lies a careful deal that actually protects American power. -
18 Feb 2026
The UN budget crisis is a security crisis
The funding shock arrives as conflicts grow more complex, not less. -
17 Feb 2026
Can the Quad regain momentum after the India–US reset?
If Washington and New Delhi can compartmentalise their disagreements, the Quad becomes more predictable. -
16 Feb 2026
Indonesia–Australia Security Treaty: Middle powers choosing consultation over blocs
Regional states are furthering security ties to retain autonomy, not to balance a single adversary. -
12 Feb 2026
Fighter jets or missiles? Rethinking Brunei’s air defence priorities
Small budgets and limited personnel mean prestige purchases deliver less security than ground-based systems. -
11 Feb 2026
Australia’s new National Defence Strategy must embrace adaptation as warfare evolves
The foundation to rapidly adapt a military institution and its society to a time of war must be set down in peacetime. -
11 Feb 2026
Pacific women in policing: Seen but still not heard
The patriarchal power that has dominated the region’s law enforcement remains alive and well, albeit in a new guise. -
10 Feb 2026
Zhang Youxia: the fallen general
Zhang may avoid execution, yet face a punishment designed to outlast his political life. -
9 Feb 2026
Trump hands Beijing a gift: nervous Asian allies
US unpredictability emboldens pro-China voices in Manila and Taipei. -
6 Feb 2026
The placebo risk to the Australia–Indonesia “common security” treaty
The language focuses on consultation and coordination without requiring concrete action when it counts. -
6 Feb 2026
Why the “Taiwan Dome” won’t survive a Chinese attack
Modelled on Israel’s Iron Dome, Taiwan’s proposed defence trump card has many shortcomings. -
5 Feb 2026
Xi’s military purges will make him wary of invading Taiwan
The removal of Xi’s most trusted military ally suggests corruption undermined combat readiness and political control. -
3 Feb 2026
Despite US offer, no “stable peace” with China
Beijing will read the NDS’s modest goals and friendly tone as America acknowledging it can no longer speak from strength. -
3 Feb 2026
Reinvigorating Australia’s Naval Reserve
A reserve force that served its purpose during more peaceful times no longer meets Australia's mobilisation needs. -
2 Feb 2026
China's security offerings gain traction in Africa
Africa's security marketplace is crowded, but China has an increasingly prominent position. -
2 Feb 2026
War games: Thriving on strategic turbulence
Washington is deploying a disruptive statecraft that pushes competitors and allies alike to their limits. -
20 Jan 2026
Keeping Australian Defence contestability independent
Forthcoming Defence reforms must avoid returning to the mistakes of the past. -
15 Jan 2026
Greenland, NATO and the ghost of Henry Kissinger
The Greenland dispute threatens to revive a question NATO prefers to avoid. -
14 Jan 2026
War ready: The human limits of strategy
During crises, timelines can be compressed to minutes, and logistics undone by the simple biology of human fatigue. -
14 Jan 2026
When the war is over: The limits of civilian storytelling
A new TV series reinforces the sentimental way Australia represents wars and military service.