Defence Strategic Review – Read all about it
Nov 26, 2022
According to the terms of reference Defence Security Review is now required to ensure that Defence has the right capabilities that are postured to meet the growing strategic challenges that Australia and its partner countries will face in the world in coming years.
This article first published 13 September 2022, has been updated.
The remit of the Defence Strategic Review is to consider the priority of investment in Defence capabilities and assess the Australian Defence Force’s structure, posture and preparedness in order to optimise Defence capability and posture to meet the nation’s security challenges over the period 2023-24 to 2032-33 and beyond.
Worryingly, the government has announced that both the interim report delivered to the government by the independent leads at the beginning of November, and the ‘public submissions’ invited for the review, will not be released to the public.
There are few more important matters that government deals with than Australia’s national security. Principles of government transparency and participatory democracy demand that the public should see these inputs into government decisionmaking on the future of Australia’s defence policy.
Pearls and Irritations is not aware of any defendable case made by the government to justify keeping the public submissions or interim report of the Defence Strategic Review secret.
We are running a series of articles that focus on the key issues of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR) which is headed by Sir Angus Houston and the Hon. Stephen Smith. Our articles put a lens on the changing world order – from uni-polar to multi-polar; the risks of our strategic relationships with the USA in particular and with AUKUS, and the ongoing fallacy that China is a threat to Australia.
You can find our series of articles compiled here:
Author: John Menadue
The Defence Strategic Review and the loss of our strategic autonomy to the US
Author: Brian Toohey
The Defence Strategic Review – we need to urgently reduce conflicts and global warming
Author: Bruce Haigh
The Defence Strategic Review: The insiders will just tinker around the edges
Author: Joseph Camilleri
The Defence Strategic Review: Will it question the China phobia that currently holds sway?
Author: Geoff Miller
The Defence Strategic Review: We should regard the Taiwan issue as one for us to ‘sit out’
Author: Mike Scrafton
Author: Cameron Leckie
The Defence Strategic Review and the decline of the US led western world
Author: Dennis Argall
The Defence Strategic Review must not confine itself to “more of the same” but address a new world
Author: Teow Loon Ti
Author: Henry Reynolds
The Defence Strategic Review: What suffering will we accept to keep America in first place?
Author: Cavan Hogue
The Defence Strategic Review and the received wisdom about the China threat and US support
Author: David Solomon
Author: John Menadue
Author: Mike Gilligan
The Defence Strategic Review: The Hollywood version of ANZUS
Author: Mike Gilligan
The Defence Strategic Review: Understanding Australia’s existing defence capability is critical
Author: Mark Beeson
The Defence Strategic Review: How not to think about security
Author: Mike Scrafton
The Defence Strategic Review: Pop psychology and Game of Thrones drives fear of war
Author: Jocelyn Chey
The Defence Strategic Review: China is not a military threat
Author: Geoff Raby
Defence Strategic Review-Prometheus bound – China the constrained superpower
Author: Mike Gilligan
Author: Mack Williams
The Defence Strategic Review and the challenge of synchronising with foreign policy.
Author: Mike Gilligan
The Defence Strategic Review: AUKUS is the wrong submarine for Australian needs
Author: Mack Williams
The Defence Strategic Review: Rehash of US influenced orthodoxy?
Author: Cameron Leckie
The Defence Strategic Review: Three dangerous assumptions underlying our defence planning
Author: Mike Gilligan
John Menadue is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Pearls and Irritations. He was formerly Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet under Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser, Ambassador to Japan, Secretary of the Department of Immigration and CEO of Qantas.
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