Impactful projection

Larger stocks of long-range weapons will be needed to ensure Australia can deter aggressors in the future.

Learning from the past to defend our future

The independent leads of Australia’s defence strategic review, Stephen Smith and Angus Houston, have a tough task on their hands, but should learn the lessons of the past to shape Australia’s defence in the future.

Revamping the ADF

The Labor government must accept the challenge posed by a rising China to our nation and our region and respond with responsible and decisive changes to Australian defence policy.

Australians back more defence spending

Australians are becoming more fearful in an insecure world, and want to see the country armed up, favouring more defence spending and the planned acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines.

Europe must invest in its own survival

The end of the cold war allowed European powers to slash defence spending, but the reality of Russia’s threat to the free world demands a much greater investment in the tools required to defend freedom and independence from Putin’s barbarism.

Russia’s Ukraine invasion must be Australia’s clarion call

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has shown that war between major powers has become a reality to be faced squarely, rather than an abstract concept to be dismissed or wished away.

A warning to the curious

Former defence minister Kim Beazley has delivered a sobering comparison between how Australia dealt with the lead-up to World War II and the complex and deteriorating strategic situation it faces now.

Lack of speed kills

As Australia begins to develop nuclear powered submarines to combat the growing threat of the Chinese navy, we also need to increase innovation across all aspects of defence to adapt to a rapidly changing environment.

Stronger together

While threats to regional security are increasing, like-minded democracies can cooperate to contain the common dangers they face.

Assessing the economic benefits of defence procurement

New guidelines may clarify the domestic economic impact of increased defence expenditure, but the final figures may remain unclear.

Refreshing defence innovation

Unless Australia scales up its own DARPA-like investment vehicles and introduces well-endowed talent-retention schemes, or other policy initiatives unique to the Australian context, our defence innovation enterprise is headed for rocky times.

Robot wars

An armed weapons system capable of making decisions sounds like it’s straight out of a Terminator movie. But once lethal autonomous weapons are out in the world, there could be no turning back.