4 Jun 2019
Superpower scrutiny at Shangri-La
The Chinese are finding they are now subject to the Spiderman rule: with great power comes great responsibility.
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17 May 2019
What a Shorten government will mean for the US-Australia alliance
Revolution? No, but Bill Shorten might find it tricky to grin and bear it in dealings with Donald Trump’s White House. -
14 May 2019
The Rohingyas: the security dimension of a deep humanitarian crisis
A permanently dispossessed people has the potential to impact regional security in ways we have not yet imagined. -
7 May 2019
Myanmar: pariah status no bar to defence modernisation
Despite criticisms, sanctions and embargoes, Myanmar is strengthening military ties with neighbours and friends. -
7 May 2019
Strategic trends across the Indo-Pacific region
The US might be reorienting to the region, but so is the region responding to the deep gravitational pull from China. -
18 Apr 2019
US-Taliban negotiations: marginalising women is no path to peace
Major problems confound the Afghanistan peace talks and risk the democratic and human rights gains made over 17 years. -
12 Apr 2019
Australia-India: naval drills show trust, yet political caution still
Exercises with submarines marks a significant step, but New Delhi is wary of any four-way cooperation with Canberra. -
3 Apr 2019
Japan’s very busy fighter force
Scrambling to intercept roughly three intruders daily, wear on the fleet raises concern about keeping pace with China. -
3 Apr 2019
India’s anti-satellite missile test: also a test for the polity
With an election afoot, controversy has inevitably grown about the timing of India’s successful “hit-and-kill” in space. -
29 Mar 2019
ASEAN Regional Forum: less might be more
Often dismissed as a “talk-shop”, the significance of this existing forum in a complex and nervous Asia could grow. -
27 Mar 2019
Mobilising Defence in the “fourth industrial revolution”
Information technology advances could revolutionise supply chains and logistics – if the ADF can seize the chance. -
26 Mar 2019
The strategic consequence of the Chagos Islands legal dispute
When Britain leased Diego Garcia to the US to become a Cold War military base, did it have sovereign rights to do so? -
26 Mar 2019
The battle to resource the US National Defense Strategy
Shifting the money to match US objectives in the Indo-Pacific is still proving to be a challenge. -
15 Mar 2019
Singapore’s careful F-35 fighter aircraft purchase
With these flying advanced sensor arrays, the aim could be to protect Singapore as Switzerland of Southeast Asia. -
1 Mar 2019
India’s wobbly quest for fighter aircraft
Ambitions to increase India’s fighter squadrons face complications in local manufacturing, as well the role intended. -
26 Feb 2019
The pressure to curb arms sales to Saudi Arabia
Australia is finally considering joining like-minded governments in ending military support to Saudi Arabia. -
11 Feb 2019
China may only seek a limited naval role in the Indian Ocean
Many assume that China intends to replace American predominance in the Indian Ocean. But sea control seems unrealistic. -
7 Feb 2019
Inflated counts of civilian casualties collateral of modern war
Complex modern conflict makes identifying the cause of the war dead impossible. This seems to have eluded some lobbies. -
30 Jan 2019
What is the F-35 for, exactly?
Australia’s first two new stealth fighters have taken to local skies. Now what? -
20 Dec 2018
What happens next? Trump’s sudden Syria exit
Exactly what “moving on” means will become apparent in the months ahead but such a rapid exit has obvious ramifications. -
18 Dec 2018
International law cannot save the rules-based order
Rising Chinese power is carving out a “geolegal” order, with reference to China, rather than international law, the key. -
17 Dec 2018
How much autonomy is too much when it comes to waging war?
<p>The use of autonomous weapons in war raises concerns on humanitarian consequences and the application of law.</p> -
11 Dec 2018
US killing by drone: continuity and escalation
<p>The US use of drones in “targeted killings” has grown under Donald Trump, continuing Barack Obama’s legacy.</p> -
3 Dec 2018
Veterans fight back against the marketing enemy at the gates
Veterans respond to the call for the public to thank them for their service. -
20 Nov 2018
Combat drones: Australia’s uncertain future
When it comes to stealthy combat drones, momentum is with China right now. That’s a problem for Australia. -
12 Nov 2018
Meaningful participation: women and peacebuilding in the Pacific
Experience in Bougainville and Solomon Islands highlights the potential role of women to support the process. -
9 Nov 2018
The new normal: a close naval encounter in the South China Sea
The Chinese commander’s handling of the situation was less than adept. -
8 Nov 2018
Marginalising female combatants after conflict
A truly gender-responsive peacebuilding program will not only help dispel myths about women but build sustainable peace. -
1 Nov 2018
“Would you like thanks with that?”
Veterans are already well supported before shoehorning an American tradition to Australia and ignores service of others. -
31 Oct 2018
Trump scores a win over Russia
Ribald nuclear threats by Vladimir Putin show that Washington’s decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty was right. -
22 Oct 2018
Chinese whispers and Pacific agency
Pacific island countries are well aware of strategic risks, and want the issues that worry them most to be in focus. -
17 Oct 2018
Beware of fighter pilots bearing gifts
A “dog fight” between a Russian and US jet, apparently over Syria, looks to be fake news. -
12 Oct 2018
Realigning the Australian Army
The army is preparing for new challenges on the battlefield. It should align it's strategy with that of the White Paper. -
11 Oct 2018
Mind the gap: views of security in the Pacific
An emphasis on “non-traditional” issues in the islands should not discount Canberra’s legitimate geostrategic concerns. -
10 Oct 2018
Not (yet?) a European Army
Untangling the abbreviations is always a challenge, but a gradual shift is evident in the quest for common security. -
17 Sep 2018
China’s arms trade: a rival for global influence?
While a challenge to US influence in Asia, Beijing’s ambitions for military sales in Africa look to driven by dollars. -
12 Sep 2018
How Taiwan deters China – and can do better yet
Far from a “lost cause”, the Asia Power Index demonstrates the chance Taiwan has to strengthen its defence networks. -
11 Sep 2018
India’s navy: between carriers and patrol boats
The blue water ambition of India’s navy runs the risk of being diluted by constabulary duties closer to home. -
10 Sep 2018
Japan is back in the Bay of Bengal
Tokyo has long understood the Bay of Bengal and the South China Sea are the lynchpins that connect the Indo-Pacific. -
18 Jul 2018
Indo-Pacific: are the British coming back?
Budget black holes and Russia’s growing naval truculence will test the ambition of the Royal Navy to act in Asia. -
12 Jul 2018
High anxiety: Donald Trump’s summits
The summit with Putin reflects an ongoing US strategic failure to learn to think how Moscow thinks. -
11 Jul 2018
Burdens and threats at NATO summit
Donald Trump’s theatrics about military spending will distract the alliance from a focus on pressing threats. -
2 Jul 2018
Mai Tai diplomacy in the Indo-Pacific
The 2018 Rim of the Pacific military exercises are a chance for China’s neighbours to signal support for the US. -
27 Jun 2018
The “unsinkable” island is no substitute
Aircraft carriers have a strategic and demonstrative impact no fortified island can replicate. -
20 Jun 2018
Glug, glug, glug: India’s interest in unsinkable aircraft carriers
As India looks to act East in response to China’s rise, investment in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands might make more sense than expensive floating status symbols. -
4 Jun 2018
Mindful Mattis did just fine at the Shangri-La Dialogue
The US Secretary of Defense fleshed out the Trump administration’s “free and open Indo-Pacific” strategy with aplomb. -
21 May 2018
US naval accidents revisited
Collisions attributed to poor on-board standards have damaged the US Navy’s credibility. -
15 May 2018
China’s play for military bases in the eastern Indian Ocean
Australia has expended a lot of defence resources in the western side of the Indian Ocean. It is time to look east. -
14 May 2018
China’s first homebuilt carrier sails: so what?
Soon, China will be the only country other than the US to operate more than one large aircraft carrier. -
30 Apr 2018
The taming of the west
Australia needs to help build maritime governance in the Indian Ocean if it is to take advantage of opportunities on offer.