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Australia’s role in a Korean contingency: between alliance commitments and strategic autonomy | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 21h

'Australia’s involvement would also matter for the credibility of its own alliance commitments. Having benefited from US extended deterrence, Canberra has an interest in demonstrating reciprocity in a major crisis involving one of the US’s key Asian allies,' writes Jihoon Yu.

The Korean Peninsula is one of the most volatile flashpoints in global security. North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile capabilities, coupled with its deepening ties to Russia and China, present ...

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 1d

NEW PODCAST 🎤

In this episode of Stop the World, ASPI David Wroe is joined by Google's Alice Friend for a deep dive into all things AI, including how the technology is evolving, the importance of rules and what it means to “win or lose” the AI race.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/43aXo8P

Australia—UAE trade agreement supports global stability and prosperity | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 1d

'The future will belong to nations and peoples that can harness technology, manage geopolitical uncertainty and forge agile, responsive, practical partnerships in novel and imaginative ways. Our new trade agreement is one such gambit, but will not be the last,' writes Reem Al Hashimy.

A landmark Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Australia came into force last week. Negotiated within the space of just nine months, it is Australia’s fir...

What to expect from Australia–PNG defence treaty | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 1d

'Speculation about Australian bases in PNG remains premature. Marape has been careful not to commit to such an arrangement at this time, though the idea should not be ruled out entirely,' write Joe Keary and Mike Hughes.

Debate over the Pukpuk treaty has focused on China and whether Australia’s military might one day use Papua New Guinea’s geography or fight alongside PNG forces in a regional contingency involving Bei...

Food security should inform Australia’s regional engagement | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 1d

🚨 FINAL REMINDER 🚨

Join LTGEN (Ret’d) John Frewen, David Kilcullen, Ian Langford, Andrew Maher and Courtney Stewart tomorrow for a special panel event exploring the concept of an “unconventional deterrent” for Australia.

🎫 Only a few tickets remain. Register now: bit.ly/46UW7nE

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 2d

'A resilient region requires partnerships that address the deepest needs of its populations. We must never forget that food sits at the top of that hierarchy,' writes Andrew Henderson.

The path to a truly safe and secure Indo-Pacific is not just through military interoperability; it requires a more holistic and enduring form of statecraft that recognises food security as a foundatio...

Australia’s northern air bases: building resilience, slowly | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 6d

'Australia is making progress in hardening its northern bases, but much of the work is concentrated at Tindal and Darwin. Elsewhere, upgrades remain slow,' writes Troy Lee-Brown.

Australia’s northern air bases are vital to national defence, yet improving their resilience remains a work in progress. And the progress is incremental. This isn’t a new task. The 2023 Defence Strate...

Northern airbase turns infrastructure into deterrence | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 6d

🗓️ JOB REMINDER 🗓️

We are looking for an analyst to join our Defence Strategy team!

If you have strong analytical skills and a solid understanding of Australia’s strategic environment and defence policy landscape, this role could be for you.

Apply 👉 bit.ly/42aO9oN

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 6d

'Although the base is privately funded, governments have often treated it as a public asset, creating uncertainty and discouraging further investment from the private sector,' writes Raelene Lockhorst.

As Defence prepares the 2026 National Defence Strategy, Mungalulu Truscott Airbase should be recognised as a multi-user critical infrastructure asset—a forward node complementing Darwin that enables l...

Despite hiccups, Chinese military modernisation still a threat to region | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 7d

'This is a manifestly modern-looking army. But that’s not good enough for China’s communist party chiefs, for whom true modernisation requires unquestioning and instant responsiveness to party aims and orders,' writes Rowan Callick.

The world was riveted on 3 September by Beijing’s parade of 12,000 troops from the Chinese armed forces, especially by their latest-tech kit on display. This is a manifestly modern-looking army. But t...

Building the human firewall: Australia’s next layer of cyber resilience | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 7d

🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨

In 'The People's Liberation Army: modernised but still mistrusted', Rowan Callick examines the sweeping modernisation effort that has become the CCP's central mission and how it is reshaping China’s military structures.

🔖 Read it here: bit.ly/4mJLslk

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 7d

'Australia’s Cyber Security Strategy recognises that lasting protection depends on behavioural change: building trust, awareness and capability before introducing binding requirements as the system matures,' writes James Corera.

Australia’s security risks are sharpest where people and technology meet. This is the space where data flows, disinformation spreads and innovation thrives—and where defences can be breached. Australi...

The overlooked frontline of Women, Peace and Security | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 8d

'For Australia, the opportunity is clear. With our history of peacekeeping and strong aid presence in the Indo-Pacific, we can lead by embedding WPS principles across defence, diplomacy and development,' writes Raelene Lockhorst.

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325 and established the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This formally recognised not only the disproportionate impact of confli...

Politics must reckon with the looming end of work under AI | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 8d

'Caring professions, the value of which arguably comes from the belief that the carer has empathy, might provide endless work. But even this is uncertain. The boom in AI counselling already suggests it’s the outcome rather than the process that matters,' writes David Wroe.

Artificial intelligence and its ability to perform intellectual tasks previously the preserve of humans are improving at a stunning rate, and yet we are complacent or politically paralysed in the face...

Ukraine’s lesson for Taiwan: build big, cheap and numerous cruise missiles | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 9d

'It’s not hard to see how, with a little effort and a lot of political will, the island democracy could build up its own massive deep-strike arsenal, one that could seriously complicate Chinese movement in the event of a war across the Taiwan Strait,' writes David Axe.

The best thing about Ukraine’s new Flamingo, a 6-tonne fiberglass monstrosity with a secondhand turbofan engine, basic guidance and a pair of old gravity bombs for a warhead, is that it’s cheap. One o...

Resilience should be Australia’s answer to economic coercion | The Strategist

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 9d

'Australia must build resilience not only in supply chains and institutions, but also in the adaptation capacity of families, SMEs and regional communities,' writes John Coyne.

Economic coercion is rarely as dramatic as missiles or armies, but its consequences can be just as destabilising. The weaponisation of interdependence has become an increasingly potent tool of statecr...

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 10d

ICYMI 🔊

Join us tomorrow for a timely panel discussion on how the Quad can adapt to intensifying strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.

Hear from 🇯🇵 Ambassador SUZUKI Kazuhiro, Dr Lavina Lee, Dr Raji Rajagopalan and Dr Arzan Tarapore.

📅 30 Sept, 5:30pm📍Canberra
🎫 Register: bit.ly/420SF9r

Quantum sensing can secure Australia’s future, today | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 10d

'Most modern systems, from ports to power grids, rely on satellite signals. But these are easy to jam or spoof, as demonstrated repeatedly during the war in Ukraine. Quantum sensors offer an alternative,' writes Rajiv Shah.

Australia has world-class quantum talent. But without testbeds, procurement pathways and clear missions, that promise won’t translate into capability. While Australia has clear strengths in quantum co...

Indo-Pacific should study Europe’s counter-hybrid playbook | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 12d

'This playbook is an example of different states and regional bodies working in sync, united by the common goal of defending the region’s territorial integrity and independence,' writes Bart Hogeveen.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, European leaders have done their utmost to contain the conflict. But now, as Moscow shifts hybrid warfare tactics into NATO territory, European c...

Women in defence and strategy still face an uphill battle | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 13d

'Less visibility means less name recognition and fewer opportunities for female scholars to be invited to conferences and panel discussions. This also results in exclusion from networks that identify and reinforce expertise,' writes Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan.

National security can only be achieved with the participation of all sectors—public, private and civil—and with the diverse perspectives that come when both women and men are in leadership positions. ...

China may soon reach far into the Pacific with many uncrewed bombers | The Strategist

Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 13d

'Rapid defence capability acquisition in western countries is rare, and projects invariably run behind schedule and blow out in budget. China won’t face necessarily these same challenges,' writes Malcolm Davis.

China is clearly thinking ambitiously about long-range power projection with autonomous aircraft. Pictures have emerged of large new Chinese uncrewed aircraft of a configuration remarkably like the Un...

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Australian Strategic Policy Institute @aspi-org.bsky.social · 13d

On Stop the World, ASPI Senior Fellow Elizabeth Buchanan joins David Wroe for a deep dive on all things Greenland.

They discuss the US's long-standing strategic interest in Greenland, how Arctic shipping routes impact Australia and the Cold War's “Project Iceworm”.

📺 Watch ➡️http://bit.ly/48wvMhU