Facing up to the bear in the Asia-Pacific

Russia continues to menace its former possessions in Europe and is increasingly looking to increase its influence in the Pacific, in alliance with China and in its own right, a growing threat which Australia must take seriously.

How research in the West boosts China’s military

Helping the Chinese military bring its scientific talent and knowledge up to world-class standards is not in Australia’s interests and the problem demands a response from the government and universities.

The limits of Australia’s defence diplomacy

Defence diplomacy has many important benefits, not least in helping other countries facing large-scale disasters. These endeavours enhance security and indirectly generate confidence, resilience and goodwill but expectations of their impacts need to remain modest and fixed on short- to medium-term security goals.

It’s time to step back from privacy paranoia

Alan Stevenson argues that individuals’ concern about privacy protection is hampering the benefits which more digital services, such as the new MyHealth record, can bring to the whole of society.

Hard times in Australian strategic thinking

A stronger defence force is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for achieving the sort of world that Australia want. Partnerships have also been central to our strategic success, and will remain so, but they must be partnerships we have chosen of our own free will.

Australia needs a clear national security strategy

Australia needs to move towards a holistic security strategy directed much more specifically by government. And this must start with an acknowledgement of the principal threats to Australia in a changing strategic environment.

Australia should double its defence budget

Despite the Coalition’s modernising programs and extra money currently allocated to building new ships, we need a navy and a defence budget commensurate with a worsening strategic situation.

Why we need a radically new defence policy

Australia’s international security outlook is starting to look very unpredictable and potentially threatening. Australian defence planners must now deal with a world which is very different from any they have known before.

Rethinking Australia’s biosecurity

Deliberate or accidental biosecurity breaches, such as last month’s strawberry contamination scare, present very real economic threats to Australia.

Hacking for ca$h

It’s time we named China as a perpetrator of commercial cyber espionage and work in coalition with other states to escalate pressure until the Chinese leadership decides the costs are too high for it to keep orchestrating the theft of intellectual property.

Winning battles and losing wars: the next force structure review

The strategic question for the next force structure review is, should we care more about whether we can win on a single landmass or whether we can win across an archipelago? Or to recast the question, where can we least afford to lose?

The mangled myths dogging the joint strike fighter

With the RAAF’s first two operational joint strike fighters arriving in early December, long-time critics have launched a fresh wave of claims that the aircraft is a disaster, but are any of these assertions actually true?