This paper presents the proceedings of a conference that brought Australian and international speakers together to share different perspectives of strategic and security affairs with our audience. The conference focuses on the bigger geopolitical issues shaping Australia’s strategic landscape. The keynote speaker was Dr Parag Khanna, Senior Research Fellow, American Strategy Program, The New America...

This paper quantifies Australia's submarine capability under different options. The Defence White Paper of 2009 promised to deliver Force 2030, which had as its centrepiece a force of twelve new highly capable long range submarines. That’s not going to happen. One way or another, Force 2030 will have a submarine fleet that is a compromise...

Times are relatively good for Australia. While the rest of the developed world grapples with crippling debts and the most pervasive economic malaise since the Great Depression, Australia enjoys the warm glow of low public debt, 5% unemployment and the prospect of 'trend' economic growth. While many factors have helped shelter Australia from the economic...

There’s recently been a flurry of activity as Airbus has attempted to sell the virtues of its C-295 aircraft for the Australian Defence Force’s future battlefield airlifter. This paper examines both the Airbus solution and its rival, Alenia’s C-27J Spartan. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) airlift capability is critical to operations both at home and...

Australia’s engagement with Afghanistan and Pakistan has been energised by the idea that their fates are ‘inextricably linked’. But a clear articulation of the hierarchy of Australian strategic interests in those two countries has been missing. In public debate, the Australian Government has tended to conflate the different challenges, relationships and opportunities we have in...