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.

The drums of war

Australia remembered its fallen heroes on ANZAC day, but the need to defend democracy is more pressing than ever.

Stepping up our security game

In the late 1970s Australian sport underwent institutional innovation propelling it to new heights of success, and today’s security services need to undergo a similar revolution in terms of technology and processes to meet evermore challenging demands.

Defending ourselves

Donald Trump’s America is no longer a trusted ally or defence supplier, and so the allied nations which remain must focus on developing their own hardware to defend themselves against Chinese and Russian aggression.

The great white fleet

America’s “Great White Fleet” came to Australia in friendship in 1908, but China’s red flotilla had very different intentions earlier this year.

Defence on the agenda

China’s naval aggression into nearby waters and Donald Trump’s abandonment of long-established alliances has thrown defence policy into the Australian election spotlight.

After America

Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the USA has seen it abandon its allies and values with dizzying speed, forcing the remainder of the democratic world to protect itself from the authoritarian world the USA seems eager to join.

Flying high

Australia needs more fighter jets to secure its airspace against incursion from hostile foreign powers, and these can be secured much more quickly than new naval ships.

Intelligence on the agenda

The unclassified version of the 2024 Independent Intelligence Review is a welcome and worthy sequel to its 2017 predecessor, with an ambitious set of recommendations to improve Australia’s national intelligence capacity.