By Sean Andrews*
A retired senior naval wag once quipped that Australia behaves as if it is “girt by beach”, not sea – a neat barb tied to the lyrics of the national anthem that captures the country’s enduring inability to think about the oceans as anything more than a holiday backdrop. Yet in 2026, maritime insecurity is no longer peripheral to national security. It sits at the intersection of great-power contestation, systemic maritime crime, sanctions evasion, fragile supply chains, and eroding resource security. (From: The Interpreter. The Lowy Institute.)
