Northern Australia has become Australia’s principal strategic operating base. This report introduces the Preparedness, Resilience and Redundancy scorecard. The scorecard provides policymakers, defence planners and industry with a decision-support framework to identify systemic vulnerabilities, prioritise investment and strengthen Australia’s ability to sustain military operations under pressure.

The compendium brings together articles published over the past 12 months, examining the most significant strategic, operational, technological and economic challenges facing Australia at a consequential moment in its history. The volume reflects the breadth of the challenges confronting Australia across five thematic parts: strategy and deterrence, regional security, Taiwan, capabilities and defence spending.

This report argues that Australia’s National Intelligence Community faces a growing mismatch between how intelligence is produced and how it is now consumed in an artificial intelligence shaped information environment. As ministers, policymakers and operational leaders increasingly expect information that is faster, more interactive and more tailored, the report warns that intelligence risks losing relevance.

Australia’s prosperity rests on systems that appear permanent but depend on continuous inputs that arrive from beyond its borders. This report proposes that Australia must now shift from optimising for cost to securing continuity. It draws on public policy documents, industry case examples and published data to frame resilience as a practical national problem.

This compendium brings together articles published over the past six months, examining the strategic, economic and policy challenges shaping northern Australia’s future. They examine how northern Australia is increasingly central to Australia’s strategic posture, economic resilience and long-term national preparedness. The articles are authored by experts across national security, economic policy, infrastructure, regional development and...