How spending more on defence harms the nation
Brian Toohey

How spending more on defence harms the nation

Anthony Albanese is taking a battering from ill-informed commentators for thinking Australia can be defended by spending a little over 2% of GDP on its military forces.

Recent articles in Defence

AUKUS project has worsened Australia’s ties with China
BA Hamzah

AUKUS project has worsened Australia’s ties with China

I have argued elsewhere (Asia Sentinel, 24/5/2025) that five factors could throw the US$245 billion AUKUS deal off balance following the recent decision by Washington to review the deal.

Why Asia-Pacific should be rooting for Iran
Eugene Doyle

Why Asia-Pacific should be rooting for Iran

Setting aside any thoughts I may have about theocratic rulers (whether they be in Tel Aviv or Tehran), I am personally glad that Iran was able to hold out against the US-Israeli attacks this month.

Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?
Mohiuddin Ahmed,  Paul Haskell Dowland

Iran’s internet blackout left people in the dark. How does a country shut down the internet?

In recent days, Iranians experienced a near-complete internet blackout, with local service providers — including mobile services — repeatedly going offline. Iran’s Government has cited cyber security concerns for ordering the shutdown.

Is Albo reverting to compulsive secrecy?
Jack Waterford

Is Albo reverting to compulsive secrecy?

Anthony Albanese is falling back into the sort of bad habits that could bring him down as Labor leader.

AUKUS submarines would be obsolete before Australia gets them
Paul Malone

AUKUS submarines would be obsolete before Australia gets them

Before the drawings have been completed, new detection technology has already made RN SSN AUKUS obsolete.

Strategic security partnerships in the region
Stephen Kentwell

Strategic security partnerships in the region

In reading analyses of how we can develop the seemingly logical argument by Paul Keating and others that Australia should be seeking its security in Asia rather than from Asia, the issue of official and personal contact in building such ties always seems to be neglected.

Goodbye to all that? Rethinking Australia’s alliance with Trump’s America
Mark Beeson

Goodbye to all that? Rethinking Australia’s alliance with Trump’s America

Even the most ardent supporters of the alliance with the United States — the notional foundation of Australian security for more than 70 years — must be having some misgivings about the second coming of Donald Trump.

Not yet born: America at the crossroads
Stewart Sweeney

Not yet born: America at the crossroads

On a threatening June evening, America’s army turned 250 and put on a show that revealed more than it intended.

Australia: A sovereign continent not for Marles to gift away
Paul Keating

Australia: A sovereign continent not for Marles to gift away

Yesterday’s statement by Defence Minister Richard Marles that Australia’s geography and continent would be crucial to any United States prosecution of a war against China will go down as a dark moment in Australia’s history.

Hugh White: Why the AUKUS ‘dream’ was never realistic and is likely to die
Hugh White

Hugh White: Why the AUKUS ‘dream’ was never realistic and is likely to die

The first clear sign the Trump administration was taking a long hard look at AUKUS came two weeks ago, when US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth gave his first major speech on US strategic policy in Asia at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

The illegal attack on Iran
Vijay Prashad

The illegal attack on Iran

Israel’s consistent attacks on Iran since 2023 have all been illegal, violations of the United Nations Charter (1945).

Nuclear subs taking on water
Jack Waterford

Nuclear subs taking on water

There is every reason for Australia to jump on board the idea of having a review of its AUKUS defence policy.



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