The Strategist | ASPI's analysis and commentary site
The past year brought a renewed focus on Australia’s deteriorating security situation and maritime capability. Despite the maritime emphasis in Australia’s 2024 defence announcements, the country remains far from being adequately positioned to defend its …
Editors' picks for 2024: 'Faster, cheaper ways to expand Australia’s ...
Originally published on 22 March 2024. Following the release of the Australia’s Surface Fleet Review, a big problem remains: the Australian Defence Force lacks sufficient maritime firepower to credibly implement deterrence-by-denial in the next 10 years.
The fall of the House of Assad - The Strategist
The swift collapse, after 54 years, of Syria’s al-Assad dynasty has just transformed the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. The lightning offensive by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia took all of Syria’s neighbours—and everyone else—by surprise.
AUKUS risks are piling up. Australia must prepare to build French …
Australia should start planning for acquisition of at least 12 submarines of the French Suffren design. The current AUKUS plan for eight nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) has always been flawed, and now its risks are piling up.
Trump-proofing the Quad | The Strategist
The Quad was revived in Donald Trump’s first term as president, but that does not guarantee he will pay much attention to it during his second. Non-US Quad members will need to demonstrate its ongoing value, make its purpose clear and find a strong advocate to make this case. Since then the Quad ...
National resilience for Australia—learning the lessons
Feb 15, 2024 · The last four years have been tough for Australia. We have seen the disastrous 2019-20 fire season, the Covid-19 pandemic, devastating floods and cyclones, the most comprehensive punitive trade measures used against any country in recent history, a doubling of cybersecurity incidents, including some of the largest data breaches and the most serious ransomware cases, more Australians targeted ...
The Super Hornet flies on - The Strategist
The Royal Australian Air Force says it will fly its 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets through to the mid-2030s rather than retiring them by 2027 as had been intended. And it will open up a competition for a replacement rather than necessarily acquiring additional F-35A Lightning IIs.
Adapting all-domain forces to changes in land warfare
Many elements of 21st-century warfare echo those of the 20th century. The nature of war as a brutal and fundamentally human endeavour has endured despite the introduction of stealth aircraft, precision missiles, drones, satellites and cyber capabilities to contemporary battlefields.
It’ll take effort, not hype, to finally achieve the hydrogen future
The Australian government envisions Australia as a renewable energy superpower, with the Future Made in Australia policy committing billions to building a domestic hydrogen industry. For decades, optimists have called hydrogen the fuel of the ...
About | The StrategistThe Strategist
The Strategist is the commentary and analysis site of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, an independent, non-partisan think tank based in Canberra.ASPI is one of the most authoritative and widely quoted contributors to public discussion of strategic policy issues in Australia and a recognised and authoritative Australian voice in international …