Australians are markedly more worried about the US, but still wary about China
Australians' concerns and mistrust of China are easing, while doubts about the US are increasing.
Recent articles in Defence
18 November 2025
Nuclear testing threatens global stability
Gareth Evans, Robert Hill, and Larissa Waters are among the Australian signatories of a statement calling on Trump to clarify that the US will not resume nuclear explosive testing.
14 November 2025
In Ukraine’s Pokrovsk, narratives have collided with brutal realities
Up to 5000 Ukrainian soldiers are in danger of encirclement in the key town of Pokrovsk by a powerful Russian war machine that has ground ever so slowly forward over the past 18 months.
13 November 2025
Another RSL dope wants to draw us into a major war
It beggars belief that the outgoing head of the RSL, Greg Melick, has abused the quiet solemnity of Remembrance Day to lecture and berate the Albanese government on its defence policy.
10 November 2025
The defence myth
When opponents of the military build-up and critics of the genocide in Palestine went to protest outside the Indo-Pacific Maritime Exposition in Sydney, they were confronted by a huge force of New South Wales police.
10 November 2025
Arms industry infiltrates National Press Club
More than a quarter of the National Press Club’s sponsors are part of the global arms industry or working on its behalf.
8 November 2025
Revealed: Secret plans to introduce media censorship in Australia
Moves to restrict just what journalists can report on defence and intelligence matters are underway – and journalists need to get up to speed fast.
31 October 2025
South Korea, Canada and a middle-power submarine: Can Australia join?
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.
29 October 2025
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.
28 October 2025
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.
28 October 2025
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.
25 October 2025
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.
22 October 2025
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.
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