The strategy establishes the strategic policy settings for Defence’s engagement with Australia’s defence industry. These settings reflect the changing strategic circumstances and deliver the initiatives required to develop Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base in support of its national security requirements. The strategy sets three outcomes for Defence and industry to achieve.

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 discusses the failure of Western military institutions, including in Australia, to learn from modern wars, while other countries do. The paper’s five recommendations address culture change, promotion reform, AI-enabled learning, rapid drone capability development, and acquisition reform.

Australia’s 2026–27 Defence Budget commits the Commonwealth to spending approximately $181.9 million on defence every day. This report examines the Australian Government’s progress with, and spending on, the 2026 National Defence Strategy and the updated Integrated Investment Program. The series has, year after year, assessed what governments said they would do against what the books...