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Australia depends on seaborne trade. AUKUS is our best plan to protect that
Jennifer Parker | 1 April 2026 *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald 31 March 2026 Image: The Astute-class submarine HMS Anson arrives at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia for a scheduled Submarine Maintenance Period (SMP). Australians feeling the sting of high fuel prices at the bowser, or seeing supplies struggle to reach regional communities, are being reminded just how dependent Australia is on the arrival of supplies by sea. That dependence sits at the cen
A Torpedo in the Trade Lanes: Naval Warfare Returns to the Indo-Pacific
Jennifer Parker | 26 March 2026 *Originally published in War on the Rocks on 26 March 2026 Image: US DOD. Sinking of IRIS Dena A U.S. submarine recently sank an Iranian warship in one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. Many overlooked the incident’s significance. Others misunderstood what had occurred. The sinking of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, roughly 40 nautical miles off Sri Lanka’s southern coast, was a graphic reminder of the brutality of war on the high
A Wake up Call on Australia's Maritime Vulnerability
Jennifer Parker | 20 March 2026 *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 19 March 2026 The conflict in the Middle East has sharpened concerns about Australia’s fuel supplies. Increasing stockpiles is necessary, but does not deal with the lack of coherent maritime strategy. Image: HMAS Warramunga sails while the ship’s helicopter MH60-R call sign “Fenrir” conducts a sortie off the coast of Queensland. Defence images. Paranoia about fuel supplies has suddenly
Australia should support the US on Iran – but within limits
Jennifer Parker | 10 March 2026 *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 10 March 2026 Image: A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail comes in to land as it arrives at Nellis Air Force Base, United States, for Exercise Bamboo Eagle 26-1. Defence images/ LACW Nell Bradbury Eight days into the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, Australia has announced a limited contribution to help under-attack Gulf states detect and shoot do
Fifty years after Tange, service chiefs have lost too much authority.
Jennifer Parker | 6 March 2026 *Originally published in The Strategist on 6 March 2026 Image: Rodney Braithwaite/Department of Defence . Fifty years after the Tange reforms created the modern Australian Defence Force, Australia faces a structural problem that few are willing to confront: steady erosion of the service chiefs’ authority. Over successive reviews and reorganisations, the chiefs have kept responsibility for generating, preparing and sustaining the Royal Australia