Overview US–China military exchanges constitute an important aspect of bilateral relations between the reigning superpower and a fast-rising one. This ASPI Strategy takes stock of Sino-US military contacts over the past 15 years and provides some preliminary assessments of the evolution and implications of this critical aspect of perhaps the most important bilateral relationship in...

Overview As Donald Trump’s administration comes to power in Washington, the postwar security policy of the US is undergoing a monumental transition. The new president’s campaign rhetoric strongly intimated that under his self-proclaimed ‘America first’ posture, traditional American strategy and alliance politics would undergo a major change. His approach to dealing with allies and adversaries...

Overview Detecting, disrupting and denying terrorist financing is vital to efforts to degrade terrorist organisations. This paper examines the nature of terrorist financing and the system used to counter this. Using examples, the paper analyses how terrorist organisations raise, move and use funds. While the focus is currently on Islamist terrorist groups, particularly the Islamic...

Earlier this year ASPI hosted a roundtable discussion on the strategic, technological and force structure adjustments that must be made so that the Australian Army can successfully adapt to the challenges, and exploit the opportunities, of cyberspace. The roundtable was a closed-door discussion under the Chatham House rule among representatives from the Army, the Department...

As the battle for Mosul unfolds in Iraq, Australian policymakers must carefully consider Australia’s long-term objectives in the Middle East. One critical question needs to be answered because it’s central to the process of making strategy. What is the Australian policy objective: to what end are our forces there? Once that question is answered, we...