Behind the new Defence Strategy
Defence Minister Richard Marles announced 16 April 2026 the government’s new National Defence Strategy (NDS) and its accompanying spending outline, the Integrated Investment Plan...
Reliance v self-sufficiency
By Mike Hughes and Justin Bassi*
The National Defence Strategy, announced on 16 April 2026 by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, correctly...
Getting good order at sea
By Sean Andrews*
Since 2009, Australian maritime security policy has rested on four interlocking pillars: practical engagement with Indo‑Pacific partners; regional defence cooperation through initiatives...
Legality of Chinese drone in Indonesia
By Dita Lilian*
Indonesian fishers found a torpedo-like object in the waters north of Gili Trawangan, Lombok, on 6 April. The exact coordinates of the...
Maritime insurance and Hormuz tanker traffic
By Mark Bailey*
The Strait of Hormuz oil and LNG tanker traffic was not closed by Iranian or US action. Tankers cannot sail because their...
India’s no-war, no-peace strategy
By Sanchari Ghosh*
At first glance, India’s Maritime Doctrine 2025 appears to be a routine update to earlier editions. Read closely, the new doctrine shows...
Hormuz: the legal position
By Natalie Klein*
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of water adjacent to Iran and Oman, which connects the Persian Gulf to the...
Australia right to aid Gulf states
By Jennifer Parker*
In the second week of the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, Australia on 10 March announced a limited...
If rules matter for China, why not for our allies?
By Clive Williams*
More than a week after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the conflict has escalated into a multi-front war. Australians...
The law about the US sinking an Iranian warship
By Jennifer Parker*
News that a United States submarine had torpedoed and sunk the Iranian warship IRIS Dena about 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka...