More is at stake than merely leaked information

Australians are right to be alarmed about police raids on the ABC and a newspaper journalist’s home.

Defending the north – Then and now

While most of Australia’s population lives in the south east, any threat to the country must be faced from the north, and so plans to strengthen Australia’s defences must begin there.

Australia’s defence and security: Are we doing enough?

Given that anything in Australian defence takes decades to mature, an upcoming election is the perfect time to talk about the issue of defence and security.

Beefing up the Parliamentary Defence Committee

Australia’s Parliamentary defence committee should be given the power to pursue a national security strategy, given the increasing threat of China in the region and the relative military decline of the United States.

Forward ‘defence in depth’ for Australia

China is determined to challenge the US across the Indo-Pacific and replace the established rules-based order with a Chinese-led system. Extending Australia’s defence capability would help counter this threat.

Building our own warships is Australia’s path to the next industrial revolution

The Federal government’s substantial investment in new frigates and submarines may prove as important to our nation’s economy as it is to our military security.

Once bitten, twice shy – Getting real about Australia’s security

Australia’s reliance on an over-stretched, under-resourced Royal Navy was exposed by Japan in the Second World War and we must not make the same mistake by over-relying on the USA as China steps up its regional ambitions and power.

The limits of Australia’s defence diplomacy

Defence diplomacy has many important benefits, not least in helping other countries facing large-scale disasters. These endeavours enhance security and indirectly generate confidence, resilience and goodwill but expectations of their impacts need to remain modest and fixed on short- to medium-term security goals.

Australia needs a clear national security strategy

Australia needs to move towards a holistic security strategy directed much more specifically by government. And this must start with an acknowledgement of the principal threats to Australia in a changing strategic environment.

Australia should double its defence budget

Despite the Coalition’s modernising programs and extra money currently allocated to building new ships, we need a navy and a defence budget commensurate with a worsening strategic situation.

Why we need a radically new defence policy

Australia’s international security outlook is starting to look very unpredictable and potentially threatening. Australian defence planners must now deal with a world which is very different from any they have known before.

The mangled myths dogging the joint strike fighter

With the RAAF’s first two operational joint strike fighters arriving in early December, long-time critics have launched a fresh wave of claims that the aircraft is a disaster, but are any of these assertions actually true?