Policy is a statement of intent or ambition. It is only effective to the extent that it penetrates the practices and mindset of the bureaucracy responsible for implementing it. Bureaucracies in general and defence bureaucracies …
As the government prepares to introduce legislation into parliament for an Australia-wide ban on Nazi symbols, it’s timely to revisit the extensive coverage of this issue in ASPI’s Counterterrorism yearbook 2022. The yearbook placed the …
Sustainable development of northern Australia has become a national priority over the past decade. The region’s geostrategic importance has grown, and recently there have been calls to strengthen Australia’s sovereign capability in the north. Importantly, …
As anticipated for several years, an increasing number of Indonesian prisoners convicted of terrorism-related offences are now completing their prison terms. For Indonesian authorities, this represents a particularly prickly policy challenge. At the centre of …
The international community’s efforts to enforce accountability for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine are vital to achieve justice for Ukrainians suffering through war crimes and crimes against humanity. But they also present an opportunity to …
South Korea today lives under an unprecedented tempo of North Korean missile tests and nuclear threats. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration therefore predictably identifies North Korea as its top security priority in its first national security …
We’re at an important inflection point on the AUKUS timeline. Now that a roadmap for Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines is in place under the banner of AUKUS Pillar 1, all three members are turning …
In 2011, venture capitalist and dot.com pioneer Marc Andreessen famously declared that ‘software is eating the world’. His argument was that services that had once been delivered via traditional means were rapidly being displaced by …
There’s a growing trend for naval forces to acquire uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) because of the potential advantages they offer, such as reduced risk and the ability to provide a persistent presence. In a medium-sized …
Sea state The US Navy has released a video showing a Chinese navy ship nearly colliding with an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait. According to a statement from US Indo-Pacific Command, the ship executed …
The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s largest security conference, has wrapped up its 2023 meeting in Singapore. The context for this year’s summit was not propitious: Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine grinds …
Countering terrorism while preserving essential freedoms and holding together a stable and harmonious community isn’t an easy task, but it has been managed effectively by successive Australian governments and their agencies. The Albanese government’s focus …
Advanced artificial intelligence technologies are being adopted at an unprecedented pace, and their potential to revolutionise society for good is enormous. Since ChatGPT was first released by OpenAI in November last year, AI technologies have …
The Australian National Audit Office’s recent report on the Hunter-class frigate program contained a number of significant revelations, but one of the most striking was the statement by the surface ships advisory committee that the …
Across the world, governments and businesses depend on the transformative powers of digital technology to drive economic growth. Naturally, digitalisation leaves organisations, government agencies and consumers more vulnerable to cyber threats, including from states using …
May was a busy month for diplomats in the Middle East. Twelve years after the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was officially welcomed back into the fold. As the protracted war …
The Chinese Communist Party is ramping up a multi-year propaganda and covert social media campaign focusing on Japan’s plans to release wastewater from the earthquake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This is happening as a …
Do you recall the ‘Garage Girls’ from this year’s Australia Day honours? Joyce Grace, Coral Hinds and Ailsa Hale were recognised for their pioneering service during World War II with Central Bureau, a joint US–Australian …
During China’s high-level ‘two sessions’ (两会) meetings this year, defence ministry spokesperson Tan Kefei (谭克非) disclosed that ¥1.58 trillion ($338 billion) had been allocated in the 2023 national budget for defence, up 7.2% on the …
In 2022, demographers demonstrated that parts of the north of Australia are among the most remote and sparsely populated areas in the world. These characteristics are fundamental barriers to economic transformation and growth in the …