by Marcus Hellyer | Mar 5, 2025 | Defence Budget, Policy, Strategy & Capability, Uncategorized
The Government recently released the 2024-25 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES) which are meant to report on how departments are going at delivering on the policy goals and spending plans set out in the Portfolio Budget Statements (PBS). This year’s...
by Michael Shoebridge | Mar 4, 2025 | Europe, Strategy & Capability, Ukraine
After the disastrous Oval Office meeting with Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump is pausing all military aid to Ukraine. This is apparently to force Mr Zelensky to do two things: apologise to President Trump for not being grateful enough for his...
by Marcus Hellyer | Mar 3, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Indo Pacific, Policy, Strategy & Capability
It’s important not to panic and to jump at ghosts and shadows. But when the facts change, a sane person changes their plans. Simply continuing down the same path while ignoring reality is as irresponsible as wildly panicking. And the facts have changed—the second...
by Peter Jennings | Mar 1, 2025 | AUKUS, China, Indo Pacific, South Pacific, Strategy & Capability
For years Australian ministers have said the country faces the most difficult strategic circumstances since the end of World War II. The phrase has been repeated so often its meaning has been hollowed out and replaced with empty political blather. Is there no...
by Marcus Hellyer and Michael Shoebridge | Feb 27, 2025 | AUKUS, Defence Budget, Indo Pacific, Podcasts, Policy, Strategy & Capability
Episode 33 – Grumpy Strategists live at the Austra | RSS.com Recorded at the 2025 Australian Defence Magazine Congress, the Grumpies look at the world & ask so what? Oz is facing a national crisis due to events in the US, with Russia & Europe, &...
by Michael Shoebridge | Feb 25, 2025 | China, Indo Pacific, Policy, South Pacific, Strategy & Capability
The Chinese military’s no-notice live firing between Australia and New Zealand is bringing deliberate and dangerous behaviour into our peaceful neighbourhood. Of course, China is telling everyone this is all good because it’s not illegal, but it’s odd to...
by Anthony Bergin | Feb 25, 2025 | Uncategorized
Two nurses in Sydney recently said on social media that they would kill patients. They were in uniform and at work in Bankstown Hospital and the people they would kill were Israelis. They have now been banned from practising nursing throughout Australia as no...
by Michael Shoebridge | Feb 24, 2025 | China, Indo Pacific, Policy, Strategy & Capability
Donald Trump being willing to negotiate a deal on the war in Ukraine with Vladimir Putin without Ukraine or European allies should be ringing alarm bells for how President Trump might operate when it comes to our part of the world down here in the Indo Pacific....
by Peter Jennings | Feb 22, 2025 | China, Strategy & Capability
Beijing uses its military forces to send what diplomats call “signals” or, in plainer language, threats and warnings. What messages does Xi Jinping want Australia to take from the imminent prospect of the Chinese navy firing missiles off our east coast? First,...
by Michael Shoebridge | Feb 21, 2025 | China, Policy, Strategy & Capability
As we see China’s PLA-Navy warships firing live weapons in the waters between Australia and New Zealand, it’s time to act on the fact that Australia’s geography no longer protects our population or key infrastructure from military threats. We have an...
