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 4, 2024 | AUKUS, Featured, Podcasts, Policy, Strategy & Capability
Episode 28: Sub schedules on fire, deterrence by d | RSS.com With a fire in the UK’s sub construction facility & US sub production slowing, the only good news is that predictions of delay are apparently ahead of schedule….Meanwhile, a new Guided...
by Marcus Hellyer | Nov 1, 2024 | Defence Budget, Featured, Strategy & Capability
As we head into election season, it’s worth reviewing how well the Albanese government has performed on defence. Has it succeeded in shaping the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for what both major parties agree is the most uncertain strategic environment since World...
by Michael Shoebridge | Oct 28, 2024 | AUKUS, Featured, Strategy & Capability
Last week Richard Marles and Pat Conroy trumpeted Exercise Autonomous Warrior 2024 as “AUKUS Pillar II in action’. Mr Marles told us that this year’s “Exercise Autonomous Warrior is an exciting and tangible demonstration of progress being made under AUKUS Pillar II”....
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Oct 23, 2024 | Featured, Podcasts
Episode 27 – Gullible Goldfish, Ghost Fleets & a n | RSS.com The Grumpy Strategists analyse two big announcements – the $20bn Henderson shipbuilding precinct & a $7bn deal on missiles apparently wrangled by Delivery Minister Pat Conroy. They also...
by Anthony Bergin and Michael Shoebridge | Oct 21, 2024 | Featured, Indo Pacific, Policy
India and Canada are engaged in a growing political battle over foreign interference. It’s not some minor squabble and it has big implications for Australia domestically and in our relationship with New Delhi. India accuses Canada of harbouring Sikh separatists and...
by Peter Jennings | Oct 18, 2024 | Featured, Policy
With Yahya Sinwar’s death, Israel is stronger, Hamas is on the way out, and Hezbollah and the Houthis with them. Iran is in deep trouble … but highly dangerous. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar didn’t find his death hiding in a tunnel. He was caught above ground...
by Lesley Seebeck | Oct 18, 2024 | Featured, Policy, Strategy & Capability
Warfare has changed fundamentally. Rather than seeing it as a linear progression—or adapted regression, depending on your perspective—we should understand it as increasing entanglement between the three strategic domains of conventional warfare, nuclear warfare, and...
by Anthony Bergin | Oct 17, 2024 | Featured
Australia’s Education Minister Jason Clare recently accused Israel of not complying with international law in bombing hospitals and schools. In war, hospitals aren’t protected if they’re used for non-hospital military purposes. If they are used for...
by Peter Jennings | Oct 15, 2024 | Featured
A year after the Hamas atrocities, put to one side the street theatre of protests and Labor’s confused talking points and ask: what really is happening in the Middle East? On October 7 last year Israel suffered the worst intelligence and defence failure since the...
by Michael Shoebridge | Oct 10, 2024 | Featured, Policy, Strategy & Capability
There’s an open secret across Middle Eastern governments that is a background driver of their approaches to the war between Israel and Iran and its terrorist proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis: they all welcome a weakened Iran and the dismantling of its...