FEATURED ARTICLES
A welcome Wildcat? Austal, AUKUS and an ownership mud wrestle
Who owns and controls Western Australian shipbuilder Austal matters to Australian, American, Japanese and South Korean national security. And there’s an arm wrestle that looks like turning into a mud wrestle over that question of ownership...
AUKUS at 5: Not Dead Yet. Don’t make the rookie error it’s about submarines – it’s about the “Geopolitical Imaginary”…& Dune…
AUKUS at 5: Not Dead Yet. Don't make the rookie er | RSS.com In Episode 82, Marcus scours the garbage bins around government offices in Canberra to feed the SAA bunker's furnaces and so avoid rising energy prices as the Houthis block Red Sea...
Australian defence business outlook 2026: growing budgets, harder markets
SAA has launched its Outlook for Australian defence businesses, covering the domestic environment, the bigger picture global developments, and approaches to the growth markets in Europe and Japan. The report examines the drivers of the growing global...
The Censorship Edition: slow change accelerates in politics, war, cricket & climate. But Australian Govt censorship just keeps rolling
The Censorship Edition: slow change accelerates in | RSS.com Marcus and Michael broadcast this edition of the Grumpy Strategists from two secure locations: Marcus kicking back birdwatching from SAA's home bunker in the Brindabellas outside Canberra,...
Transparently bad – Government censorship is damaging our defence and our democracy
Defence officials are often accused of being unimaginative and bureaucratic. But when it comes to new ways to hide information and obscure even simple issues and activities from the public, Defence officials can be very creative. This hasn’t...
Australia’s two “Wunderwaffen” can’t both be magical: Hunter frigates and AUKUS subs
Australia's two "Wunderwaffen" can't both be magic | RSS.com The Grumpies return to SAA's bunker deep in the Brindabella Hills. It's time to take stock of the $9 billion spent so far on 3 Hunter frigates for Australia's Navy, with $18 billion still...
UK Count Binface’s Australian Connection, AUKUS August, and Lethal Wellbeing
UK Count Binface's Australian Connection, AUKUS Au | RSS.com Michael calls in from Count Binface's campaign to beat Reform UK's Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election. The Grumpies ponder a Binface-type manifesto for Australia - "I will cut your...
AUKUS subs’ temporary base is permanent again: Mr Conroy loses his trousers in Washington, startling Elbridge Colby
AUKUS subs' temporary base is permanent again: Mr | RSS.com Marcus undertakes an emergency mercy flight to Washington DC to comfort and counsel Department of War deputy Elbridge Colby, stunned by the stab in the back from America's Aussie ally on...
Australia’s AI complacency: PM’s faster horses for the age of aircraft
As the emptiness of the Labor Party’s policy-making conference unfolds in Adelaide, it’s obvious why Australians are looking for alternatives to our major political parties, even as they watch One Nation's Pauline Hanson flit about at Italian fashion...
Grumpy Strategists episode 77: Those silly Canadians. Drone wars – US joins Ukraine. & Zumwalt: The Expense Continues
Grumpy Strategists episode 77: Those silly Canadia | RSS.com It's a packed episode from the SAA bunker deep in the Brindabella Hills: Marcus gets into the world of high fashion with Gina Rinehart and Pauline Hanson, Michael marvels at Canada's "Three...
Accountability is king, but no one is responsible. The tragedy of Australian Defence leaders forced to waste their time & our money
Accountability is king, but no one is responsible. | RSS.com In Episode 76, the Grumpy Strategists ponder revelations of $29 billion of waste in just some of Australia's big defence projects from Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy. His answer:...
Australia needs a new strategy for a new world
In January 2026, and again in March, the world changed dramatically and fundamentally. Since then, changes have since been occurring on an almost daily basis. Actions taken by the United States administration under President Trump have highlighted...
Back to Monochrome Australia! Colour television was the first mistake
When Australia had something like a monoculture, it rested on a firm foundation. Trouble was, that foundation was racist, even if that old culture wasn’t truly mono, whatever its monotony. You have to dig deep to find any mention of a “monoculture”...
Paperwork v. missiles: Australia, China & neighbourhood security
Right now, unfortunately, Australia is writing security cheques for itself and the South Pacific it can’t cash. That’s the real message behind two major security developments in the Pacific this week. On the day that Australian diplomats were...
Australia’s zombie defence industry policy is rewarmed – the 2026 DIDS reinforces failure.
So, Minister Pat Conroy has released the Australian government’s "new" 2026 Defence Industry Development Strategy, after giving us the highly unsuccessful 2024 version.Unfortunately, the 2026 strategy is a rehash of the 2024 approach, which Mr Conroy...
I’m a defence reporter. This is what we’ve already lost to pay for AUKUS
In a recent article, I argued that whilst nuclear-powered submarines are powerful platforms, there are many important things they can’t do, like shoot down drones or remove sea mines (which Iran used to close the strait of Hormuz). SSNs are extremely...
Hedging against America, ordering in a time of disorder
The mail arrives, yet the world spins awry. The global rules-based order, which has underpinned Australia’s security and prosperity for decades, is in transition. The end state is difficult to predict. While there will be elements of continuity, the...
A tiny fleet of nuclear subs comes at the cost of a weaker Australian military
Three months ago, I asked how many American nuclear-powered submarines it would take to open the Strait of Hormuz. For the record, the US has around 52. Some called this question ridiculous. It seems the point flew over their heads. Of course the...
Unaccountable rises: A Defence leadership Trifecta performs at Parliament, while China shifts the ground on AUKUS
Unaccountable rises: A Defence leadership Trifecta | RSS.com Marcus and Michael each pick their three stand out takeaways from Australian Defence officials testimony about delivery and performance to the Parliament. It's hard to pick winners in a...
America in Asia: a very different Hegesth to 2025 & regional ordering amongst disorder
America in Asia: a very different Hegesth to 2025 | RSS.com In Grumpy Strategists episode 74, Marcus talks to SAA's man in Singapore, Graeme Dobell, about the dynamics and developments on show at the annual Defence ministers' gathering in Singapore's...
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