The Virgina class submarine has been repurposed since the Republicans took the White House. So, Australia’s biggest ever military project has entered another stratosphere of farce. (more…)
Category: Defence
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Perhaps Marles should ask the US why it is building up forces around China
It now seems taken for granted that Australia needs to spend a lot more on its military. (more…)
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Israel’s attack on Iran: Nothing good will come of it
Israel has been itching for years to attack Iran, citing its nuclear facilities as an existential threat. (more…)
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Reflections on Ukraine’s ‘Spider Web’ and other attacks on Russia: why the euphoria?
Reports by invested parties of battlefield success in most wars — and the war between Russian and Ukraine is an exemplary case — are best read when accompanied by the aphorism of the ancient Greek tragic dramatist, Aeschylus — in war, truth is the first casualty — and then following the unfolding of Newton’s 3rd Law as applied to war reportage: every claim is met with a counter-claim until something resembling an account corresponding to observable facts emerges. This, almost without exception, reduces the original version to an ambitious fable. (more…)
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AUKUS: America saving us from ourselves
The decision by the United States to initiate a review of the AUKUS agreement might very well be the moment Washington saves Australia from itself. Saving us from the most poorly conceived defence procurement program ever adopted by an Australian Government. (more…)
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Two remote islands with a common purpose
After a decades-long fight, Prime Minister Starmer in late May gave up Britain’s possession of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, while Australia keeps the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, our most distant Indian Ocean territory. The United States military has continuing use of both. (more…)
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Hugh White and our post-American future
In his new Quarterly Essay, Hard New World, Hugh White delivers a devastating attack on Australia’s current defence policies. (more…)
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Chinese flotilla fallout still has some attempting a beat-up
There is little or no evidence that China poses a direct military threat to Australia. However, the Sinophobes among political ranks and the commentariat are trying to ensure that Beijing will treat Canberra as a hostile entity. (more…)
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US unlikely to be able to hold its own against China
Were the US to come up against China in a war in the Pacific, indications are that Washington would have the worse of the exchanges. (more…)
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The Hegseth directive: Australia, spend more!
Australia’s obsequiousness before US power was again on show at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a security forum convened by the International Institute for Strategic Studies to discuss matters relevant to the Indo-Pacific. (more…)
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Friday essay: let’s rethink Australia’s national security – and focus on fairness and climate action, not blind fealty to the US
The change in the US after Donald Trump returned to power should make us think deeply whether Washington’s aims and policies will offer us the security we need.
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Chinese jet shoots down France’s best fighter. NZ and Australia should pay attention
For the first time in history, the US and the Western world face a genuine peer competitor in China.
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New Zealand cribbed Australian defence documents
New Zealand officials drew heavily on Australian defence documents to produce the 2025 Defence Capability Plan, which indicates the country’s intended military acquisitions and development for the next 15 years. (more…)
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In memory of the Marshall Plan – a primer for Gen Z
The attack on Pearl Harbour led to an enormous volume of United States resources being committed to the war against Nazi Germany. (more…)
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Danger: Global security is now in the hands of Trump, Rubio and Hegseth
The United States is a national security state. Over the past half-century, it has unnecessarily conducted “forever wars” in Vietnam (1960s-1970s), Iraq (2000s-the present), Afghanistan (2000s-2020), and now possibly in Yemen. (more…)
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Four World War II myths: Ignoring China, downplaying Russia’s role
As the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II approaches in 2025, the vital contributions of China and Russia remain largely overlooked by the West, just as they have always been. (more…)
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Brave new world
As Australia’s newly elected government seeks to navigate the shoals of President Donald Trump’s new world after the election on 3 May, it will behove us to think beyond our tariff concerns and AUKUS and focus on Southeast Asia. (more…)
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Kate Grenville’s questions about our 5000 war memorials
Now that Anzac Day is done and dusted for another year, it’s time to look at Australia’s continuing war obsession from a different angle. The late distinguished historian, Ken Inglis, estimated there are between 4000 and 5000 war memorials in Australia. They are in large cities, suburbs, regional towns and villages, and on crossroads where villages once stood. (more…)
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Only a third of Australians support increasing defence spending: new research
National security issues have been a constant feature of this federal election campaign. (more…)
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If I were defence minister…
On becoming Australia’s new defence minister, I will advise cabinet at its first meeting that our nation is at a perilous, strategic crossroad. (more…)
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A minority Labor Government’s policy agenda – Part 1
A minority Labor Government is widely seen as a likely outcome in the forthcoming election. (more…)
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The myth of the US good cop
As Donald Trump destroys the old world order a new myth is taking hold: before Trump, it is said, America benevolently provided the defence for the Western world, policing rogue states and promoting international free trade. (more…)
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Anzac voices – voices of warning
A shade over 110 years since the Gallipoli landings, Anzac Day is a day of mourning for many. Respect is due. And more. If we listen to the original Anzac voices, we may recognise voices of warning – relevant today. (more…)
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ANZAC Day: Honour the dead, spurn the myths and militarism
ANZAC Day is an occasion to honour those who died fighting for Australia. (more…)
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Close the US military bases in Asia
The best strategy for the superpowers is to stay out of each other’s lanes. (more…)
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AUKUS is more than nuclear submarines and that’s a problem
When we think of AUKUS, most people picture the dangerous $368 billion gamble on a handful of nuclear submarines. The truth is AUKUS is a lot more, and a lot more dangerous, than these submarines. (more…)
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Looking for a fair wind: Reflections on Australia’s maritime security
Australians may miss out on opportunities to reinforce our regional security if they are over-concerned about Chinese aggression in the South Pacific and do not take the opportunity of engaging in regional dialogue to resolve common problems. (more…)
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Submarines are not instruments of peace: A Quaker’s response to Australia’s strategic obsession
Rear Admiral Peter Briggs’ recent defence of submarines offers a polished, strategic case for Australia’s continued investment in this kind of military hardware – especially nuclear-powered ones. (more…)
