Jennifer Parker

26 May 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in The Australian on 26 May 26 Image: 4.5 tons of Wold War II High Explosive is destroyed just off the coast of Bougainville during Operation RENDER SAFE 14. Defence Images. Australia is an island nation with one of the world’s largest maritime domains, and its prosperity and ­security depends on seaborne trade, including fuel, fertiliser and pharmaceuticals. Yet as Australia invests heavily in nuclear-powered submarines and

22 May 2026 | Jennifer Parker & Dr Troy-Lee Brown *Originally published on 22 May by the Perth US Asia Centre The Iran war is again exposing a reality Australia has long overlooked: the Indian Ocean sits at the centre of the nation’s economic and strategic security. Image: United States forces prepare to board an oil tanker in the Indian Ocean in early February 2026 after the vessel violated a U.S. embargo of sanctioned ships in the Caribbean. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF WAR Key takea

20 April 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 16 April 2026 Does Australia have the capability to defend itself and protect its maritime lifelines? Under the current funding profile, the answer is no, we would be relying on the United States to do it for us. The second iteration of the National Defence Strategy arrives against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East already affecting Australia’s fuel, fertiliser, plastics sup

15 April 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald Image: Australian Army officer Colonel Susan Coyle, CSC, Commander Task Group Afghanistan, at the graduation ceremony for 3rd Kandak. 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 starting to feel dated. We are certainly in a more dangerous peri

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

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

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

Jennifer Parker | 27 February 2026 Image: Image of the battle cruiser HMAS Australia : Royal Australian Navy Sea Power Centre . 1 March 1901 marked the establishment of Australia’s Commonwealth military and naval forces, the foundation of today’s Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army . The sea service’s initial title was ‘Commonwealth Naval Forces’; a decade later King George V granted the title ‘Royal Australian Navy’. When the new fleet steamed through Sydney Heads in

Jennifer Parker | 19 February 2026 *Originally published in the Lowy Institutes The Interpreter on 19 February 2026 The silence around a second Chinese naval deployment near Australia cost the public a chance to understand the risks. Image: A People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate of the type that accompanied an amphibious ship (ADF/Defence Imagery) In parliamentary hearings earlier this month, Australia’s Chief of Defence Force confirmed for the first time tha

5 February 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in The Australian on 5 February 2026 Image: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence the Hon. Richard Marles MP and Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Peter Khalil MP with Minister for Finance Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher speaking at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. (Kym Smith / Defence Images ) The release of the Defence Estate Audit marks another milestone in the Albanese government’s ef

3 February 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Lowy Institute's The Interpreter on 3 February 2026 Image: Royal Australia Navy (Susan Mossop/Defence Images) Australian maritime security is entering a period of profound change. The planned expansion of the Royal Australian Navy’s surface combatant fleet, the introduction of nuclear-powered submarines, and the reality of having no strategic warning time are forcing a hard look at how the Navy generates and su

15 January 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in ASPI's The Strategist on 15 January 2025 Images: Image of the Ship’s Company of HMAS Canberra lining the upper decks as JS Makinami sails past in 2021: Nadav Harel/Royal Australian Navy . The Royal Australian Navy’s greatest challenge isn’t introducing nuclear submarines and considerably expanding the surface fleet, as daunting as those objectives are. Rather, it is transitioning from a peacetime force to one with a

14 January 2026 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald online 14 January and in print on 15 January 2026 Image: 2021 British Nuclear Submarine, HMS Astute, is alongside at Fleet Base West, Rockingham in Western Australia. The submarine is part of a larger task group and is enjoying some well earned time off in the Perth area after more than seven months on deployment. Defence Images As with 2025 , early 2026 again sees AUKUS, Australia’s plan to

Jennifer Parker | 30 November 2025 *Originally Published in the Australian Financial Review on 28 November 2025 We have forgotten what it feels like to face the visceral prospect of attack. Countries that cannot resist coercion will struggle to defend their interests. Image: A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft conducts an aerial display as part of the RAAF Richmond Air Show 2025. Defence Images. Rumours suggest another Chinese naval task group may be he

4 November 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Lowy's The Interpreter 4 November 2025 Image: Grappling with how to defend a continent spanning 7.7 million square kilometres can seem overwhelming (Jake Badior/Defence.gov.au) There is growing concern about the shifting geopolitical environment, the increasing use of military force to settle disputes, and what this means for Australia’s future security and prosperity. Grappling with how to defend a continent span

21 October 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Australian Financial Review on 21 October 2025 Image: Philippine Military resupply mission was hit with a water canon from a Chinese Coast Guard cutter. Philippine Military Photo The White House meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and US President Donald Trump produced a string of positives. Chief among them is Trump’s ringing endorsement of AUKUS and his first public commitment to sell nuclear-powered

15 September 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 15 September 2025 Image: Papua New Guinea...

29 August 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 29 August 2025 Image: HMAS Sydney transits as part...

13 August | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in Lowy's The Interpreter on 12 August 2025 Image: HMAS Sydney during Exercise BERSAMA...

5 August 2025 | Jennifer Parker *Originally published in The Conversation on 5 August 2025 Image: The Maritime Self-Defense Force's...