Security isn’t what it used to be

When people think of national security, it’s about spies, soldiers and submarines, but these days it’s about much more than those things.

Australia needs a national security strategy

A national security strategy will help Australia navigate uncertainty, strengthen resilience and protect our future in light of growing international threats.

The independent case for boosting defence

The case for boosting Australian defence spending is compelling and we shouldn’t need US prodding to protect ourselves from growing international threats.

Australia’s SMEs can build defence resilience

Australia needs a national strategy that explicitly prioritises the integration of small and medium enterprises into its defence industrial base to strengthen sovereign capability and infrastructure resilience.

Australia should be Brave1

Australian defence innovators are held back by legacy procurement models, limited risk appetite, and policy uncertainty. Ukraine offers an example of how to change that, if we’re bold enough to act.

Drone wars

Australia continues to weigh the value of spending billions of dollars on submarines which might take decades to procure when the immediate development of cheap drones might be far more effective.

Australia’s cottage defence industry

Australia’s defence manufacturers are essentially a cottage industry, with the average supplier employing only 13 people and achieving net annual sales of about $2.2 million.

The gathering storm

Australia’s lack of economic complexity, national security planning and strategic foresight endangers our future as the converging and compounding global crises of the coming decade are not isolated challenges, but an existential threat demanding a unified, resolute response.

Arms and the men

Australia must rapidly bolster its armed forces and defence industry to deter aggression, maintain its sovereignty and protect its interests in an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific

Coming home

Anthony Albanese’s decision to return policy responsibility for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation and the Australian Federal Police to the Department of Home Affairs comes in response to rapidly intensifying threats to social order.

Defence begins at home

Australia has a unique opportunity to reinforce its national security by fostering a stronger domestic defence industry.

Ready for action?

The ADF is at risk of being caught in a no-man’s-land, neither doing enough to deter aggression, nor being ready for a conflict today, nor investing in capability and technology in a way that will prepare us for a future one.