Good news: Japan further loosens its military export rules | The Strategist Revisions to defence export controls adopted by Japan’s cabinet today demonstrate the urgency with which Tokyo is shaking up its post-war defence settings in the face of increasing international insec...

'Beyond the bilateral context, Tokyo’s defence export reform will improve confidence in the Indo-Pacific that Japan is now a genuine defence power, contributing to regional security,' write Justin Bassi and Alex Bristow.

🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We are looking forward to welcoming Professor Renato Cruz De Castro, Distinguished Professor in the Department of International Studies at De La Salle University, to the ASPI Defence Conference on 25 June in Canberra.

🎫 Early bird tickets close this week: bit.ly/4b4EHbo

Australia can anticipate the next supply shock by tracking insurance premiums | The Strategist If Australia had wanted early warning of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz that began last month, it needed only to have monitored maritime war-risk insurance premiums. These rose sharply well before...

'If Australia had wanted early warning of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz that began last month, it needed only to have monitored maritime war-risk insurance premiums. These rose sharply well before physical interruption of shipping occurred,' writes Pascal vander Straeten.

NDS 2026 – The three ways to count Australian defence spending | The Strategist So you thought that watching defence spending was complicated. Well, Australia’s new National Defence Strategy displays three different ways of counting it. There’s the Defence portfolio’s appropriati...

'While the least clear in composition, the NATO measure is currently the figure with the greatest political importance,' writes Linus Cohen.

🚨 NEW SPEAKER 🚨

We're pleased to announce Jennifer Parker, Adjunct Professor at the University of WA, will speak at the ASPI Defence Conference on 25 June.

This year's event will include sessions on the NDS & IIP & delivering an integrated force.

Early bird tickets close Friday ➡️ bit.ly/4b4EHbo

Darwin Dialogue 2026: from exposure to endurance | The Strategist We no longer face a knowledge problem on critical minerals. We face a coordination failure, and the cost of that failure is already visible in delayed investment and persistent dependence. Governments...

'We no longer face a knowledge problem on critical minerals. We face a coordination failure, and the cost of that failure is already visible in delayed investment and persistent dependence,' writes John Coyne.

🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨

ASPI's special edition compendium ‘From exposure to endurance’ brings together a curated selection of analysis aligned to the 2026 Darwin Dialogue, exploring the growing strategic importance of critical minerals, supply chains and industrial capability.

🔖 Read: bit.ly/4tp0KAn

NEW PODCAST 🎤

ASPI’s head and deputy head of defence strategy, Mike Hughes and Courtney Stewart, join Stop the World to dissect 🇦🇺’s new National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Plan, whether the strategy is adequately resourced, AUKUS and 🇦🇺’s broader strategic outlook.

🎧➡️ bit.ly/4tADcst

Sovereign resilience starts in the north | The Strategist With the war in Iran, Australia is facing a second major external shock this decade. The lived experience of Covid-19 and the disruptions already evident from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have ...

'With the war in Iran, Australia is facing a second major external shock this decade. The lived experience of Covid-19 and the disruptions already evident from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the need for an agenda of sovereign resilience,' writes Grant Wilson.

Australia’s reserves are growing – but not where the strategy needs them | The Strategist The Australian Defence Force reserves are increasingly weighted in the country’s south and east, despite Defence strategy prioritising the north. It’s much the same pattern seen in the distribution of...

'Defence capability is not just about what exists on paper, but rather what can be generated and sustained under pressure. And right now, Australia’s reserve force is growing – but not in a way that delivers that outcome where it matters most,' write Iris Reinhold and Raelene Lockhorst.

NDS 2026 – The Australia-US Alliance: the art of dealing with a great power | The Strategist Today’s National Defence Strategy, announced by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, correctly reasserts that Australia’s security interests lie in becoming more self-reliant, wh...

'Our policy challenge is not whether to work with the US but how. A vital component of the democratic relationship is an ability to criticise US actions antithetical to our principles without upending the alliance,' write Mike Hughes and Justin Bassi.

Long before the war, ASPI’s Critical Tech Tracker showed Iran’s military research efforts | The Strategist Iranian research years ago pointed to development of the strike drones that have been lighting up air defences across the Gulf and, by threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, holding the world e...

'There is always a gap between research excellence and fielded technology, but the two correlate. Research output sends a signal of what a country is prioritising and the technical capabilities it is amassing in a particular field. This shouldn’t be ignored,' writes Stephan Robin.

ADF must master the fight tonight before betting on tomorrow’s autonomy | The Strategist In the span of five years, first-person view (FPV) racing drones have graduated from local parks to the front lines of modern warfare. The Ukraine–Russia conflict has irrevocably demonstrated the demo...

'The democratisation of air power is here, but the removal of humans from the loop is not yet a reality. The hype cycle threatens to distract us with visions of the future while we neglect the tools of the present,' writes Keirin Joyce.

🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We're pleased to announce that Vice Admiral Justin Jones AO CSC RAN, Chief of Joint Operations, will speak at the ASPI Defence Conference ‘Securing the Region for Uncertainty’ on 25 June in Canberra.

🎫 Early bird tickets available until 24 April 👉 bit.ly/4b4EHbo

The new chief of army is the right person at the right time | The Strategist With wars in Europe and the Middle East, and Chinese naval task groups operating closer to Australia, the familiar line that ‘this is our most challenging strategic environment since World War II’ is ...

'The appointment of Australia’s first female service chief is not just about one individual, but the cumulative effect of those who were constrained by policy, limited by expectation or passed over despite their capability. It is, in many respects, overdue,' writes Jennifer Parker.

Australia’s national auditor moves to keep Defence acquisition accountable | The Strategist Australia may not lose most public accountability for Defence acquisition spending after all. The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has quietly begun work on what looks very much like a replacem...

'Australia may not lose most public accountability for Defence acquisition spending after all,' writes Linus Cohen.

🔔 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🔔

We're delighted to announce that Bec Strating, Director of the La Trobe Centre for Global Security & Professor of International Relations at @latrobe.edu.au, will join the speaker lineup for the 2026 ASPI Defence Conference.

🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale: bit.ly/4b4EHbo

PNG and Australia take note: cheap, non-state drone warfare in the Sahel | The Strategist Papua New Guinea needs to prepare for the threat posed by cheap, commercial drones. Given Australia’s defence cooperation with PNG – formalised into an alliance by the Pukpuk treaty – and the two coun...

'The two states should both learn from and monitor Sahelian mistakes and countermeasures to ensure commercially available drones don’t pose a threat to PNG and Australian security,' writes Oscar Warren.

🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨

In this explainer, ASPI Senior Analyst Dr Malcolm Davis analyses how directed energy weapons (DEW) could reshape counter-drone and missile defence, and makes the case for a dedicated Australian DEW strategy.

🔖 Read the report: bit.ly/4cF8nMW

🚨 NEW SPEAKER 🚨

We're pleased to announce that Mark Hammond, Chief of Navy & incoming Chief of the ADF, will speak at the 2026 ASPI Defence Conference.

At a time of growing uncertainty, the event will focus on how 🇦🇺 can better deliver capability & strengthen readiness.

🎫 Tickets: bit.ly/4tTpdh9

NEW PODCAST 🎤

In the latest episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Fergus Ryan and
Bethany Allen join David Wroe to unpack AI in China, from the automation of the justice system and predictive policing to “ambient censorship” and authoritarian values in tech.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/4vlRO01

'In this ideologically complex security environment, Australia faces difficult choices as it seeks to ensure its security, its sovereignty and the integrity of its democratic political system,' write @bethanyallen.bsky.social, @nathanattrill.bsky.social and @fergus.bsky.social.

🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨

We’re pleased to announce that Senator James Paterson, Australia's Shadow Minister for Defence, will speak at the 2026 ASPI Defence Conference ‘Securing the Region for Uncertainty’.

📅 25 June | 📍 Canberra

🔗 Register now for early bird tickets: bit.ly/4tTpdh9

The place for maintaining AFVs is where they’re based: Townsville | The Strategist Australia’s plan for sustaining its armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) far from their basing is the equivalent of Ukraine sending its tanks to Paris for repair and overhaul. This is illogical and unacceptable. As part of ...

'A combat logistician charged with developing the AFV sustainment plan would move the repair assets as close as possible to the vehicles – not the other way around,' writes Chris McDougall.

'Governments, universities and individual academics should urgently revisit export-control compliance in academia,' writes Christopher J Watterson.

NEW SPEAKER 🔈

We're looking forward to welcoming LTGEN Susan Coyle, Chief of Joint Capabilities, to the ASPI Defence Conference on 25 June.

This year’s event will focus on practical solutions to strengthen deterrence and build credible capability.

🎟️ Early bird tickets on sale now ➡️ bit.ly/4tTpdh9

Japan and Australia need a broad defence treaty | The Strategist A comprehensive defence treaty between Japan and Australia is overdue. The 50th anniversary of the two countries’ Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, to be marked this year, should provide the...

'The need for closer Japan–Australia defence cooperation is growing, yet existing agreements remain limited in scope,' writes Rintaro Inoue.

Old enemies meet in Beijing as China promotes its influence in Taiwan | The Strategist Meetings between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT) are now routine, no longer tentative or discreet but frequent and increasingly public. From 7 to 12 April 2026, KMT cha...

'Meetings between the Chinese Communist Party and Taiwan’s Kuomintang are now routine, no longer tentative or discreet but frequent and increasingly public,' writes Nathan Attrill.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊

We’re pleased to announce the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs, will speak at the 2026 ASPI Defence Conference on 25 June in Canberra.

🎟️ Early bird tickets are on sale for a limited time: bit.ly/4tTpdh9

Timor-Leste and its partners need to step up as Chinese interest in Timorese waters increases | The Strategist Australia and its partners need to monitor the developments in China’s engagement with Timor-Leste carefully. Canberra should also, ideally, implement proactive initiatives to strengthen its own relat...

'Given China’s growing interest in the surrounding waters, maintaining strong relations between Australia and Timor-Leste is vital,' write Christine Cabasset and Eric Frecon.