Australia’s new defence paradigm

Prompted by China’s increasingly coercive international behaviour, Australia’s revised defence policy looks to protect Australian interests and support global resistance to Beijing’s rising brutality.

Walking the walk

The new force structure plan sets a clear direction for Australia’s military that engages with the new world we are living in. It positions Australia to resist coercion and deter conflict but now the hard work of implementation must begin.

Embracing cloud computing in national security

Policy makers should look beyond current technical security standards to unlock the capability benefit that cloud computing can bring to Australia’s national security.

Learning the lessons

Australian governments at all levels should have learned a lot between the onset of the bushfire season and the first stages of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus threatens both dictatorships and democracies

The economic and social impact of the fast spreading coronavirus could threaten both democratic and dictatorial systems in the months to come.

The danger of intelligence ‘scope creep’

While Australians are often hawkish about community safety and border security, they’re far less accepting of their security agencies being given new domestic surveillance powers without government making a strong case for their use.

The perils of pragmatism

A foreign policy in Asia that does not encompass a continuing commitment to freedom and human rights is one that forgets who we are as a nation and what we believe in.

Assessing current threats to Australia

Mike Burgess of ASIO has delivered his first annual assessment of the terrorist, technological and security threats facing Australia.

Battle of the memes

Hostile states such as Russia and China are consciously using ‘memes’ to amplify the loudest voices in democratic debates to deepen the divisions between us.

The fog of Wuhan

After initially suppressing news of the Wuhan virus outbreak, we can’t be sure whether authoritarian China is now using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, or whether this new coronavirus presents a serious global health threat.

Defence and disaster management

A greater role for the ADF in disaster response seems inevitable, but it will take significant investment and cross-agency cooperation to create a fit for purpose response force.

Dying of thirst?

Water shortages around the world, exacerbated by population increases, environmental mismanagement and climate change, are creating tensions which may soon spill into war.