Are we preparing to fight the wrong war?

Are we preparing to fight the wrong war? That’s the question being asked increasingly frequently by Australian defence planners, especially in the RAAF. What makes some people nervous are a number of emerging disruptive technologies that will have a profound effect on military operations in the very near future.

A ‘new normal’ in the South China Sea?

The United States and China have apparently reached a tacit agreement to avoid outright confrontation in the disputed South China Sea. Relations between ASEAN claimants and between ASEAN and China rest on a similar plateau but long term rapprochement remains a distant prospect.

China’s strategic push in the South China Sea

In a highly provocative move, China has deployed anti‑ship cruise missiles and surface-to-air missile systems on three reefs converted to military bases on Mischief Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef in disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Can the National Resilience Taskforce help protect Australia?

Australia faces a range of natural and man-made threats to its vital infrastructure. How should the government’s resilience taskforce tackle the challenges which lie ahead?

Defend your democracy

John Berry, the former American Ambassador to Canberra, urges Australia, the United States and other democracies to stand up to autocratic and increasingly aggressive nations such as Russia and China and protect their institutions against all attempts to undermine them.

How vulnerable is Australia’s identity data?

The government must ensure that national identity assets are protected from manipulation, falsification or destruction to safeguard our democracy, governance and security.

The US Alliance – Our dependence grows as our options narrow

Australia’s dependence on the United States in the post–Cold War era has grown as the strategic options in our region have narrowed. Our national strategy of ‘defence self-reliance within our alliances’ is now being tilted by major shifts in power relativities and US engagement

Facing up to reality in Sino-Australian relations

Chinese Communist Party interference in Australian affairs is real, not mere rhetoric, and it’s the central reason for bilateral tensions. Mistakes in how the China–Australia relationship has been managed shouldn’t lead us to lose sight of that crucial fact.

A ‘clever’ Australia needs a larger, more potent navy

Australia is surrounded by the three largest oceans on earth, yet governments over more than three decades have failed to focus on forward defence via powerful, sustainable and deployed maritime forces.

Will Australia defend the ‘rules-based order’ in Asia?

The heated and polarised debate about the consequences of China’s increasing military assertiveness has raised doubts about the future of the ‘rules-based order’ in the region, as invoked by the Turnbull government in numerous speeches and policy statements.

Naming and shaming the unshameable

In the light of escalating cyber attacks from Russia, China and other hostile actors, the West is taking a more proactive approach to naming the perpetrators and taking active counter-measures.

‘Rules based order’ should be based on UN principles, not national convenience

It’s time for Australia’s leaders to wean themselves off the overused and increasingly meaningless expression, ‘rules-based global order’. We should instead uphold the principles outlined in the UN Charter, as uncomfortable as that may be.