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.

A united front

Australian politicians should establish clearer political boundaries around national security to avoid politicising ongoing security issues and to better manage secondary effects.

Worst case scenario

China’s imperialist designs on the region demand immediate strengthening of the nation’s defences, particularly as the United States withdraws from the alliances which have kept the peace for 70 years.

Gun boat diplomacy

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

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

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

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.