Confusion reigns in discussions about the cost of the Department of Defence’s equipment projects. This report attempts to be a guide for the perplexed. It’s not a technical manual, but a plain-English discussion that unpacks the cost of Australian defence equipment projects.

In September 2021, the Australian government announced that it would acquire a nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) capability with support from the UK and the US as the first measure under the AUKUS technology sharing partnership. In order to chart this long, difficult journey, the government also...

In order to deliver on the Australian government’s ambitious plans for future shipbuilding capability, the urgent task today is to develop a bridging strategy that delivers short term capability wins and boosts vital industrial capability. The plan presented in this paper does both - by...

This report proposes a way for the Australian government to acquire maritime war-fighting capability quickly and affordably while promoting Australian industry and the continuous Naval Shipbuilding Program.

The benefits of autonomous systems on the modern battlefield have been widely recognised, yet the Australian Defence Force has only slowly adopted them. This report recommends how Defence can jump start the transition to greater use of autonomous systems.