by Marcus Hellyer | May 28, 2024 | Defence Budget, Policy, Strategy & Capability
These questions are based on the information contained in the 2024 National Defence Statement (NDS), 2024 Integrated Investment Program (IIP) and 2024-25 Defence portfolio budget statements (PBS). Note: In this essay, ‘this year’ refers to the 2024-25 budget year....
by Michael Shoebridge | Apr 24, 2023 | China, Defence Budget, Strategy & Capability, Uncategorized
While there’s only a single paragraph devoted to it down on page 23, it’s clear that the Defence Strategic Review and the billions of dollars the government will spend on Defence over the next ten years is all about grappling with Chinese power in the Indo Pacific....
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Nov 7, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Featured, Indo Pacific, Podcasts
Trump ‘s Asia Tour; Crowned with success – and sta | RSS.com The Grumpies consider the net effect of US President Trump’s Asia tour, and are outraged he was gifted a REPLICA crown. They examine the idea of South Korea building nuclear submarines,...
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Oct 24, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Featured, Podcasts, Strategy & Capability
Albanese meets Trump: champagne all round – but a | RSS.com The Grump Strategists move back into their renovated bunker deep in the Brindabellas and assess the finely managed Albanese-Trump meeting. Full marks to PM Albanese and Ambassador Rudd for stage...
by Marcus Hellyer | Oct 17, 2025 | AUKUS, Defence Budget, Featured, Strategy & Capability
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....
by Greg Rose | Oct 13, 2025 | Featured, Policy
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...
by Anthony Bergin | Oct 9, 2025 | China, Featured, South Pacific
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...
by Graeme Dunk | Sep 29, 2025 | Defence Budget, Featured, Policy, Strategy & Capability
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...
by Peter Jennings | Sep 29, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Featured, Indo Pacific, Strategy & Capability
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...
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Sep 24, 2025 | China, Defence Budget, Featured, Podcasts, South Pacific, Strategy & Capability
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...
by Peter Jennings | Sep 21, 2025 | China, Featured, Policy, South 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...
by Michael Shoebridge | Sep 19, 2025 | AUKUS, Defence Budget, Featured, Policy, Uncategorized
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...
