Lifting the secrecy around plans to censor journalists
Australian officials have been briefed by Britain’s Defence and Security Media Advisory (DSMA) Committee about 'D-Notices’. These are ‘advisory orders’ to the media on what the committee considers should not be published in relation to British military and intelligence operations.
Recent articles in Defence
13 May 2026
Is Australia America’s 51st state in Asia?
Both Labor and the Coalition are deepening Australia’s alignment with the United States, even as doubts grow about AUKUS, the rules-based order and the risks of being drawn into a US-China conflict.
11 May 2026
Australia's naval defence without AUKUS pillar one
The AUKUS nuclear submarines are not going to be delivered on time and may never arrive. Delaying the decision for a better alternative risks Australia’s future submarine capability.
6 May 2026
The BYD 'spy car' narrative misses Australia’s real transport risk
Australian politicians, in the reasonable pursuit of fleet efficiency, have approved Chinese-made EVs for ministerial use. According to a Sky News commentator, however, these cars are not merely transport, they are rolling microphones. In fact, they are the vehicles that will keep moving when the next fuel shock arrives.
6 May 2026
Australia’s resilience is inseparable from Asia
Australia is anchored in Asia, yet elements of our defence posture continue to assume a different centre of gravity. This makes it difficult to reconcile long-term strategic planning with the region Australia relies on for its economic security and wellbeing.
4 May 2026
Nuclear disarmament is stalling – and the risks are growing
As global tensions rise, nuclear-armed states are failing to meet their disarmament obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, while recent conflicts risk accelerating proliferation.
29 April 2026
Recapturing the decency dimension of Australian foreign policy
In the latest of our Foreign Policy Rethink series, Gareth Evans argues that Australia’s foreign policy must give greater weight to being, and being seen as, a good international citizen.
28 April 2026
Australia's foreign policy needs renovation, not demolition
In the latest of our Foreign Policy Rethink series, Peter Varghese outlines how alliance, region and multilateralism must be recalibrated for a more contested and uncertain global order.
28 April 2026
Australia and Japan need a new compact for comprehensive security
The Australia–Japan relationship is critical to energy, economic and regional security, and must be strengthened to respond to a more fragmented and uncertain global order.
28 April 2026
ANZAC Day: remembering the past, facing the present
ANZAC Day honours service and sacrifice, but its deeper meaning lies in recognising the human cost of war and the responsibility to learn from it.
26 April 2026
Geography doesn’t change, but minds can
In the latest in our Foreign Policy Rethink series, Mark Beeson takes a look at Australia’s long-standing alignment with the United States and argues it is increasingly out of step with shifting global realities and regional dynamics.
21 April 2026
Labor’s foreign policy no longer matches the world it faces
In the second on our Rethinking Foreign Policy series Kym Davey says Labor’s foreign policy platform is out of step with current realities – clinging to US alliance settings while ignoring its own commitment to self-reliance and the opportunities of the Asia-Pacific.
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Trump, Greenland and Australia’s alliance reality check
