Military alliances
Report
Maximising Australia’s memberships: recalibrating Australia’s engagement with Indo-Pacific groups
This report provides a stocktake of all Australia's Indo-Pacific strategic memberships, from the Five Eyes in 1956 up to AUKUS in late 2021. It then ranks all of Australia's group memberships by their current value and potential and recommends how to resource them.
Briefing paper
Taiwan and the dangerous illogic of deterrence by denial
The author of this paper argues that although there are many compelling reasons to prefer that Taiwan remain democratic and retain its affinity with the West, these outcomes are not so vital as to merit a strategy for which the immediate consequence of failure is high-end war with a nuclear-armed adversary.
Report
Australia’s sovereign naval shipbuilding capability - Future Submarine Acquisition: a shambles - we don't think, we know
This report examines the AUKUS announcement and the cancellation of the agreement with Naval Group to build the Attack-class boats, in addition to providing an update on the Department of Defence's accountability and transparency.
Report
Implementing Australia’s nuclear submarine program
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 announced the establishment of the Nuclear-Powered Submarine Taskforce to make...
Report
What is AUKUS and what is it not?
This paper sets out what AUKUS is—a technology accelerator that is about shifting the military balance in the Indo-Pacific. Just as importantly, it also sets out what AUKUS isn’t, to reset some of the discussion. It also proposes a simple performance metric for AUKUS implementers over the next three years.