• Gun boat diplomacy

    Euan Graham     |      March 5, 2025

    China has the largest navy in the world and has its addiction to gun-boat diplomacy from the South China Sea to the Tasman should provoke a debate about defence in the forthcoming election.

  • Sea change

    Richard Dunley     |      March 2, 2025

    Australia has been given a wake-up call with the arrival of a Chinese naval battlegroup off the Australian coast underlining the power imbalance between the two navies.

  • Nothin’ but trouble

    Michelle Grattan     |      February 21, 2025

    The head of ASIO has painted a gloomy picture of national prospects and international affairs as social strife and authoritarian aggression loom large on the agenda.

  • On military service

    Tom McDermott     |      February 8, 2025

    Military service has developed a checkered reputation in modern society, but it can still develop the values of humanity, empathy and compassion rather than degrading them.

  • Silence isn’t golden

    Justin Bassi     |      February 4, 2025

    The Federal Government’s habit of evading, ignoring or downplaying security threats undermines public trust, encourages conspiracy theories and emboldens our enemies.

  • Naming names

    James Corera     |      January 28, 2025

    The government has released its first report on foreign interference in Australian affairs but remains curiously reluctant to name the countries involved.

  • Safeguarding Australia

    Joseph Zeller     |      January 21, 2025

    The government’s failure to address critical vulnerabilities in defence, energy security, and economic resilience exposes the nation to unprecedented risks.

  • Bambi meets Godzilla

    Bill Sweetman     |      January 2, 2025

    China’s unveiling of radical prototype aircraft has sent shockwaves through the West’s defence establishment, as China now threatens to out-innovate as well as out-produced its democratic counterparts in terms of military might.

  • Crisis of confidence

    Elizabeth Buchanan     |      December 20, 2024

    We ask more and more of our army and, rightly or not, lash it when it stumbles, but it has overcorrected on its course correction following the Brereton inquiry.

  • Tomorrow’s Army today

    Marcus Schultz     |      December 9, 2024

    The head of Australia’s army, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, has laid out his vision for a more effective and accountable service.

  • The A2Z of ANZ

    Joanne Wallis     |      December 5, 2024

    Australia and New Zealand engage in wide-ranging daily cooperation, but seldom refer to the alliance between them. Has the alliance become irrelevant? Or is it so taken-for-granted, and the habits of cooperation so entrenched, that it is seen as unnecessary to emphasise it?

  • Australia needs a coastguard

    Jennifer Parker     |      December 3, 2024

    A new maritime service with smaller, cheaper craft could boost Australia’s maritime security at a time when it’s under more threat than ever.