The Abbott government wants to accelerate the development of northern Australia. To advance that goal, Assistant Treasurer Josh Frydenberg recently announced a taskforce to explore options for reducing insurance premiums in northern Australia. The taskforce …
While China’s recent assertiveness in the South China Sea might shock and surprise today’s observers, its behaviour has actually been remarkably consistent over recent decades. China first exercised its power in the region in January …
The Beat AFP front the press following executions Following the executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran last week, the Australian Federal Police discussed their operations around the Bali 9‘s 2005 arrest. While the AFP …
With preparations for the 2015 Defence White Paper well underway, I’d like to offer some thoughts about how strategic policy is—ideally—made. I see strategy as the purposeful actions undertaken by an actor within a specific …
The cyber wrap is back after ICPC’s short break attending the Global Conference on Cyberspace in The Hague. Stay tuned for a series of blogs about the event soon, but in the meantime you can …
When Chinese prime minister Wen Jiabao participated in the founding meeting of the Central and Eastern European (CEE)–China Summit in Warsaw April 2012, it seemed few in Canberra asked why Poland was chosen by China …
Under the banner of a new special relationship, we are currently witnessing a second evolution of Japan–Australia strategic relations. Looking back, the relationship’s evolution has had two distinct phases; the first phase of evolution started …
When Prime Minister Tony Abbott opened the Australian memorial at New Zealand’s Pukeahu National War Memorial Park, he declared that New Zealand defence force personnel deploying to Iraq would be ‘splendid sons of ANZAC’. In …
Sea State This week’s release of ministerial advice under freedom of information laws has revealed that by discussing the high likelihood of Japan winning the SEA 1000 contract last year, Prime Minister Abbott acted against …
Commissioned in September 2014 under a $2.5 million contract, the RAND report Australian’s Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise: Preparing for the 21st Century was released on 16 April 2015. The government says it’s developing an ‘enterprise-level Naval Shipbuilding …
For many years Thailand was admired for its rapid economic growth. It was a good security partner for the US and Australia, and many foreigners liked visiting the country. The zigzag course of its political …
Last month, considerable homage was paid to the Anzac legacy. Australia has been scrupulous in acknowledging the ‘NZ’ in ANZAC at events across the country. And New Zealand is consistently ranked as the country most warmly …
Last week I attended a climate change and strategic military geography seminar held at Russell Offices in Canberra on the impact of climate change on Defence. The seminar was convened by the Global Change and Strategic …
Indonesia recalled its ambassador from Canberra because Australian intelligence eavesdropped on the Indonesian president and his wife. Now Australia recalls its ambassador from Jakarta because Indonesia has executed two Australian drug smugglers. The same diplomatic …
This week saw the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War. Four decades later, how do young Vietnamese view the Vietnam War? For an American perspective, a group of Marines …
Security across the Middle East region is of increasing concern, with the Houthi insurgency destabilising Yemen and drawing airstrikes from Saudi Arabia and nine Arab allies, and the Da’esh franchise spreading its propaganda and its …
Due to continuing challenges around the TPP agreement, the public release of the revised Guidelines for Japan–US Defense Cooperation is the key policy outcome of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s spring visit to Washington DC. The …
Recent discussions on naval shipbuilding have highlighted the importance of a vibrant and innovative defence industry for both strategic and economic security reasons. Prior experience with building the Anzac- frigates shows that Australia can build …
A month ago, Stewart Patrick from the Council on Foreign Relations described the move by France, Germany, Italy and the UK to become founding members of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) as a …
Last weekend’s commemorations of the centenary of the Gallipoli landings was the ultimate expression of our habit of reflecting on the causes, conduct and consequences of war at the time of major anniversaries. Unfortunately, Australia’s …