Sometimes, middle-power enthusiasts get overly excited about the potential for said states to work together. It’s almost as if you want to see those “little guys” grab the ball and run it all the way to the try line — or the end zone, for you Americans. (more…)
Category: Defence
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The unvanquished will: Gaza’s triumph of spirit against the architecture of genocide
For the last two years, my social media algorithm has been relentlessly dominated by Gaza, particularly by the voices of ordinary Gazans, displaying a blend of emotions that centres on two core principles: grief and defiance. (more…)
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It’s no longer possible to be a Palestinian in the West Bank
In the West Bank, no one has heard about the ceasefire in Gaza: not the army, not the settlers, not the Civil Administration and, of course, not the three million Palestinians who live under their tyranny. They do not feel the end of the war in the slightest. (more…)
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More defence spending, please – just not on the military
Donald Trump has pushed the Australian and other governments to increase defence spending. Defending society from threats is important, but there’s more to it than soldiers and weapons. (more…)
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Indonesia’s security depends on educating the minds behind its machines
Indonesia is investing in its regional influence — purchasing new fighters, drones, frigates and billions in defence contracts — while allowing its classrooms to deteriorate. (more…)
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Readying the north for war
Few Australians realise that the tropical north occupies more than 40% of our land mass while holding only 5% of the population. But governments — colonial, state and national — have speculated about its destiny since the middle of the 19th century. (more…)
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Vanity, defence or just wanting to show off?
For a demagogue, what could be more stirring than to take the salute on a raised dais as thousands of armed men and women march past like robots in perfect synchronisation? (more…)
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Ignorance is complicity: Australia must end its arms trade with those committing crimes
Rayana Ajam is one of six talented young Australians who will travel to the UN General Assembly in New York next week as part of the Global Voices project. (more…)
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Secret cargo: Inside Australia’s covert F-35 parts pipeline to Israel
At least 68 shipments of F-35 fighter jet parts have been flown on commercial passenger planes to Israel from Australia as recently as last month, leaked documents reveal. (more…)
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Steerage for the Australian-PNG navy?
The mutual defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea could be a masterstroke for both countries, if our defence boffins could think laterally. I bet they won’t. (more…)
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Quantico’s verdict: The silence that stripped Trump bare
Donald Trump has always measured power by applause. Rallies, ratings, and ovations have been his fuel, the noise that kept the illusion of command alive. But at Quantico, facing the nation’s military brass, the noise stopped. (more…)
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Scarborough collision triggers Beijing’s strategic hardening
On 11 August 2025, Chinese law enforcement and naval vessels reportedly collided during an interception of a Philippine coast guard ship near Scarborough Shoal. (more…)
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Disengaging from the dangerous alliance
When, in the course of close — some would say politically intimate — relations between allies, the dominant partner demands that the subordinate partner betray its democratic principles as a cost of receiving favourable treatment, the time has come to terminate the relationship. Such is now the state of the Australia-US alliance. (more…)
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Treaty delay shows Australia still thinks it knows what’s best for PNG
The Albanese Government appears to want to force Pacific countries into choices they do not want to make. (more…)
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What game is he playing? The PM and AUKUS
As the Australian prime minister prepares for his visit to the UN in New York next week, Robert Macklin looks into what Anthony Albanese might be hoping for on the trilateral security deal. (more…)
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Labor is taking Australia into a US war with China
The Albanese Labor Government is actively making plans to take Australia into a future US war with China.
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AUKUS anniversary reminder to the prime minister
Dear prime minister, How very unfortunate that you chose 14 September to announce further expenditure on submarine facilities. (more…)
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As Europe diversifies its defence, Canberra still clings to AUKUS
Anthony Albanese is about to pour more than $12 billion into a new AUKUS submarine base in Perth. (more…)
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When Australia defied US nuclear plans. Part 2: Sovereignty at stake
Declassified US. Pacific Command Histories, which provide much of what is now known about the Australian B-52 terrain avoidance and maritime surveillance missions, reveal that the Fraser Government was far from transparent with the public about the true stakes of the B-52 deployments to Australia – and perhaps not fully cognisant itself. (more…)
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SSN AUKUS – Heading for a quagmire (Part II)
In the first part, I identified the factors mitigating against the sale of 3-5 Virginia class submarines to cover the gap until the arrival of the British designed SSN AUKUS. (more…)
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When Australia defied US nuclear plans. Part 1: B-52s over Australia in the 1980s
It wasn’t always like this. For a brief moment Australia stood apart. (more…)
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The shrinking US Navy submarine force – Implications for AUKUS Pillar 1 (Part 1)
The US Navy’s attack submarine force had been predicted to reduce to 49 in 2030. (more…)
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Military experts warn of climate wars
“Accelerating climate disruption is the greatest threat to the human future: our safety and well-being, our homes and communities, and how and where we live and work,” a group of leading Australian military and security experts says. (more…)
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If you really want some subs – try this
While there is no doubt that our acquisition of nuclear subs from the US will either be massively delayed and over budget or binned on some Trumpian whim, what’s worse is that we may never get our multi-billion dollar deposit back if that occurs. (more…)
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Marking September 2: Lest we forget
This week marks 80 years since the end of World War II. While Europe celebrated the end of the war in May, hostilities dragged on for several months in the Far East until Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan on 15 August 1945 and this declaration was formalised on 2 September. (more…)
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Chasing a chimera: The political dream of AUKUS that consumes reality
For the sake of taxpayers, let’s hope that the Audit Office is inspecting the AUKUS books closely. (more…)
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For 35 years after Vietnam, we had a self-reliant defence policy. We need it again
The US is almost always at war, not in defence of values and democracy but in its “manifest destiny” as the world hegemon. (more…)
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Silver foxholes: A moral argument for older soldiers
The Australian Defence Force’s recruitment efforts are targeted primarily at teenagers and young adults. (more…)
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Germany’s arms embargo on Israel isn’t betrayal, it’s a moral reckoning
The arming of Israel now, so that it can carry out its plan to take control of Gaza and carry out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the territory, is one of the most antisemitic and anti-Israeli measures imaginable. (more…)
