ARTICLES
Australian government prefers talking about defence funding over actually spending more.
The Trump administration has been calling on its partners and allies to lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. NATO has agreed to that benchmark, with another 1.5 per cent thrown in for vaguely defined national resilience and critical infrastructure programs....
The legalities and politics of the Sumud Flotilla to Gaza
In the Mediterranean Sea, on Thursday 2 October 2025, the Israeli Navy intercepted a 45-boat ‘Sumud Flotilla’ that sailed from Spain intending to breach Israel’s blockade on Hamas in Gaza. The flotilla was an expensive expression of confrontational political activism...
Having finally signed treaty, Australia must strengthen PNG defences
Recruitment in the region sits comfortably with the goal of security integration with Canberra, at a pace and scale welcomed by Pacific Island countries. on Monday, Anthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape will sign amutual defence treaty known as the...
Sovereignty costs. If you won’t pay for it, you don’t have it
Sovereignty was once, fleetingly, the poster child of Australian defence policy and pronouncements. While it continues to be mentioned, it’s now in such a vague and superficial way that it has been emptied of meaning. This is a mistake. Sovereignty will be, needs to...
Albanese-Trump meeting: PM advised to lead with fact we are a strong and capable military ally
If Anthony Albanese wants to avoid being berated by Donald Trump or JD Vance about how little Australia spends on defence, he should go to Washington with a list of proposals to expand alliance co-operation. President Donald Trump has emerged the winner in the battle...
Episode 50: With friends like this…& Why spend real money on defence when you can just seem to?
Episode 50: With friends like this...& Why spend r | RSS.com Marcus is back from Australia's croc-filled Outback. He catches up with Michael on global events: America's end to a Baltic states security initiative and the Trump Administrations' prep work for a Xi-Trump...
Beijing is running rings around us in Pacific
The Albanese government’s failure to conclude security treaties with Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu shows the hollowness of Australian foreign policy in the Pacific. Not finalising these deals is the result of insufficient diplomatic engagement, a lack of genuine local...
The Trump-Albanese meeting: Good news – he’s just not that into us
In the beating heart of this nation’s capital, Canberra, many of us have been thinking and rethinking about the Australia-US alliance and the AUKUS sub deal that is now so central to it. We’re reaching a crescendo as the long-awaited, much anticipated...
The contribution to peace Albanese could make at the UN
Anthony Albanese will be in New York next week to participate in a high-level meeting to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the UN. One of those sessions will be dedicated to the “Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”. This follows...
Team Albanese works hard to make Australia’s Defence budget LOOK ‘bigglier’
Mr Albanese has two choices on Australian defence spending as he prepares to meet US President Donald Trump in New York (hopefully, perhaps). He can increase Australia’s defence budget from its current 2 per cent share of GDP to somewhere around the 3.5 per cent...
The Age of Impunity: unilateral use of force damages us all
Anyone thinking the Israeli government’s strike on senior Hamas personnel in Qatar or the American government’s strike on a boat carrying 11 alleged Venezuelan drug runners in recent days is good news needs to think again. We have now officially entered the age...
Questions for the federal government about ISIS brides’ return
Anthony Albanese is hiding his government’s involvement to return the third group of so-called “jihadi brides” to Australia, apparently before Christmas. These are women who are currently in refugee camps in northern Syria, who travelled to that region to support the...
Pacific leaders’ Ocean of Peace is disturbed by pushy Beijing rule maker
As Prime Minister Albanese heads to Honiara for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting this week he won’t find one big happy family. Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Jeremiah Manele, may well have undermined efforts by the Forum leaders to manage increasing...
Xi Jinping’s parade: strongmen, hubris and overreach
Back in the days of the Roman Empire, during parades in their honour Roman commanders used to have someone standing behind them whispering ‘Remember you are mortal’ to prevent the pomp and pageantry going to their heads. So, as Xi Jinping watched his massed...
Europe’s lessons in dealing with unreliability, extended deterrence for Aussie streets & lost luggage
Europe's lessons in dealing with unreliability, ex | RSS.com In Episode 49, Marcus and Michael go over the lessons for Australia from Europe's approach to dealing with an unreliable US over the war in Ukraine. They discuss the now disturbing centralisation of...
Close Encounters of the Superficial Kind: Mr Marles goes to Washington
What’s the rush, Richard Marles, sorry, Deputy Prime Minister? You and your government have been telling us for months that the Trump administration’s review of AUKUS is nothing to worry about. Now we have a trip organised so hastily that you missed the start of a...
Micronesia’s strategic significance is rising
China is trying to change the Pacific Islands architecture by demanding the island nations amend what it says is an “erroneous” 33-year-old communique declaring Taiwan a Pacific Island Forum development partner, with participation rights in the Forum....
Not too late for Anthony Albanese and Benjamin Netanyahu to repair valuable bilateral relationship
Anthony Albanese says Australians want to see two things happen on the conflict in Gaza: “One, they want people to stop killing each other … Second thing that they want is for conflict to not be brought here.” On both counts the Prime Minister will be disappointed....
Peace requires real action, not gestures
The Australian Government's planned recognition of Palestine outside negotiations with Israel seriously impedes Australia's ability to engage with and influence the Jewish state, a state we helped found. It gives us the appearance of clueless dilettantes. Hamas...
The Ambassador Series: a grumpy strategist meets a high energy Ukrainian Ambassador
The Ambassadors Series - a Grumpy Strategist meets | RSS.com Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko speaks with a grumpy strategist about his path from business to diplomacy, & the surreal experience of families - including his - like fighting in the Russian...
Episode 48: Grumpy But Grand Strategy – Australia’s Two Pillars are both in trouble
Episode 48: Grumpy But Grand Strategy - Australia' | RSS.com Before Dr Hellyer jets off to Samoa, the Grumpy Strategists go Grand - Australian grand strategy looked at through its two enduring pillars of: 1. economic prosperity by mainlining into China's economy, and...
Australia should push for alliance treaty with Japan
Two decades of bipartisan effort to deepen defence ties with Japan made it possible to select the Mogami-class frigate for our navy. This is not just the right technical choice, it’s a big step forward in relations with Tokyo. Do not underestimate what has...
Japan’s frigate win: Australia gets a strategic industrial partner; Japan gets a bucket of Australian risks
Japan’s Mogami class frigate bid has beaten the German alternative to win the Australian Navy’s general purpose frigate project, which has a budget over the ten years covered in Defence’s investment plan of some $10 billion (with more required beyond that to deliver...
Australia can trust Beijing – to reach right into Australian society
Prime minister Albanese just got back from his fourth meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping telling us he’s established a strong personal relationship with China’s leader. His leadership meetings have apparently built mutual respect and trust. But it turns out...
Episode 47 Ground truthing Australia’s drone journey & the UK’s military & industrial base
Episode 47 Ground truthing Australia's drone journ | RSS.com The Grumpy Strategists drill into the facts behind Australian Govt announcements on drones to find disappointment: celebrating $16.9m on counter drone systems while spending $11m per day on AUKUS puts things...
Australia and the UK put the AUKUS spin cycle on High
So, is what we’ve just heard about the strength of Australian-UK relations and commitment to AUKUS fabulous news that reduces the risks and problems built into the nuclear sub pact? No. Does the new 50-year treaty, named after Geelong, a town in...
Australian crewing on US Navy’s own subs: Canberra’s AUKUS lever
There’s been plenty of criticism and consternation about reports Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon official running the Trump Administration’s AUKUS review, had asked for some kind of commitment about Australian involvement if there were a conflict with China over Taiwan....
Grumpy Strategist Makers Series – with Beaten Zone’s Steve Baxter
Grumpy Strategist Makers Series - with Beaten Zone | RSS.com One Grumpy Strategist talks with Beaten Zone Venture Partners boss Steve Baxter. They set out Steve's journey from the Army to business success in the tech world, to now running an outfit all about investing...
Oh dear, what have you done to my fleet!? & Is Australia now bandwagoning AND free-riding??
Oh dear, what have you done to my fleet!? & Is Aus | RSS.com The Grumpies go over an Audit report revealing the comprehensive, systemic failures of Defence, the Navy and its contractors to maintain and operate the Navy's two biggest ships. The obvious question is how...
We’re letting Xi Jinping weaponise economics all over again
So, prime minister Albanese is in China for his fourth meeting with Xi Jinping, accompanied by a large Australian business delegation. We hear from the government that now they have ‘stabilised the relationship’ with Beijing, it’s time to grow our two way...