Australia can’t be a safe haven for war criminals

Australia has offered a home to too many thugs and criminals guilty of horrendous acts abroad, and shouldn’t continue to shelter such people, nor allow Russia’s legion of rapists and murderers escape justice here.

Europe must invest in its own survival

The end of the cold war allowed European powers to slash defence spending, but the reality of Russia’s threat to the free world demands a much greater investment in the tools required to defend freedom and independence from Putin’s barbarism.

Reframing security in a post-invasion world

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is part of a new era of ideological competition and great power confrontation that has uprooted the post-Cold War international order.

Russia’s Ukraine invasion must be Australia’s clarion call

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has shown that war between major powers has become a reality to be faced squarely, rather than an abstract concept to be dismissed or wished away.

Australia needs a larger defence force

Australia’s defence force needs bolstering to handle the rolling natural disasters and humanitarian crises it is called upon to tackle, as well as a deteriorating international scene.

Save the ADF for combat duties

The small, if highly trained, Australian Defence Force has enough on its plate without resorting to its personnel to solve every civilian problem caused by commercial greed or political maladministration.

The return of hard borders

All those in the travel and tourism industry waiting with bated breath for a ‘return to normal’ once international borders are opened to tourists once again may be in for a rude shock.

AUKUS empowers a wider regional role

The AUKUS agreement could encourage Australia to review its ‘middle power’ mentality and step up as a regional leader to help its Pacific neighbours thwart the pervasive threat of grey-zone warfare.

That sinking feeling

The vulnerability of surface ships to attacks by air and submarine has been clear since the Second World War and Australia’s small number of high value naval assets might be exposed in any future conflict with a sophisticated adversary.

A warning to the curious

Former defence minister Kim Beazley has delivered a sobering comparison between how Australia dealt with the lead-up to World War II and the complex and deteriorating strategic situation it faces now.

A strategic investment fund for advanced technology

Australia is up with the best in the science of quantum computing, but new approaches are needed to address deficiencies in our defence and intelligence technology.

Cleared hot

Businesses looking to work on sensitive government projects often have to obtain standardised security clearances for their staff, but the need for security vetting now arguably extends well beyond government contracts.