Australian Strategic Policy Institute
@aspi-org.bsky.social
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute is an independent, non-partisan think tank focused on Australia's defence, cyber, tech and strategic policy.
‘Adversaries are already exploiting that gap, pairing automation with disinformation and electronic warfare to accelerate reconnaissance, generate false targets and overwhelm human operators,’ writes Jason Van der Schyff.
AI in theatre: gaining decision advantage at machine tempo | The Strategist
In modern operations against near-peer adversaries, time is a decisive variable. The side that can observe, orient, decide and act fastest, and with confidence, wins the initiative. Artificial intelli...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
December 3, 2025 at 4:41 AM
‘Adversaries are already exploiting that gap, pairing automation with disinformation and electronic warfare to accelerate reconnaissance, generate false targets and overwhelm human operators,’ writes Jason Van der Schyff.
'Northern Australia doesn’t need more statements about its potential. It needs funding programs that land, processes that move, and decisions that keep pace with the ambition already in motion,' writes Anna Alexander.
Policy needs to keep pace with northern ambition | The Strategist
Northern Australia is primed for growth. Businesses and communities are stepping up, investing in new capabilities and pursuing opportunities in such sectors as energy, defence, agriculture, aviation ...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
December 2, 2025 at 9:07 PM
'Northern Australia doesn’t need more statements about its potential. It needs funding programs that land, processes that move, and decisions that keep pace with the ambition already in motion,' writes Anna Alexander.
'It’s not clear how this reorganisation will lead to Defence acquiring more capability, faster, at lower cost and at the same time be more responsive to rapid change in military technology and the threat environment,' writes Malcolm Davis.
Opportunities and risks in Australia’s defence acquisition shake-up | The Strategist
Amid delays and cost blowouts in Defence, the Australian government on 1 December announced a sweeping overhaul of Defence procurement with the creation of a Defence Delivery Agency (DDA). This will o...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
December 2, 2025 at 5:16 AM
'It’s not clear how this reorganisation will lead to Defence acquiring more capability, faster, at lower cost and at the same time be more responsive to rapid change in military technology and the threat environment,' writes Malcolm Davis.
'Democratic governments should coordinate to establish global standards that ban undisclosed political censorship, prioritise open and inspectable AI systems and restrict the export of surveillance and opinion-shaping technologies,' write Bethany Allen, Nathan Attrill and Fergus Ryan.
Report: ‘AI safety’ needs to mean safety from authoritarian abuse | The Strategist
‘AI safety’ has become a buzz-phrase in Silicon Valley, where tech companies use it to refer to artificial intelligence systems that reflect human values and protect human well-being. AI chatbots that...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
December 1, 2025 at 11:17 PM
'Democratic governments should coordinate to establish global standards that ban undisclosed political censorship, prioritise open and inspectable AI systems and restrict the export of surveillance and opinion-shaping technologies,' write Bethany Allen, Nathan Attrill and Fergus Ryan.
🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨
In ‘The party’s AI,’ Fergus Ryan and Bethany Allen et al. reveal the rise of generative AI is transforming China’s state control system into a precision instrument for managing its population and targeting groups at home and abroad.
🔖 Read it here: bit.ly/4pFROnR
In ‘The party’s AI,’ Fergus Ryan and Bethany Allen et al. reveal the rise of generative AI is transforming China’s state control system into a precision instrument for managing its population and targeting groups at home and abroad.
🔖 Read it here: bit.ly/4pFROnR
The party’s AI: How China’s new AI systems are reshaping human rights - ASPI
This report shows how the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming China’s state control system into a precision instrument for managing its population and targeting groups at home and abroad.
bit.ly
December 1, 2025 at 10:08 PM
🚨 NEW REPORT 🚨
In ‘The party’s AI,’ Fergus Ryan and Bethany Allen et al. reveal the rise of generative AI is transforming China’s state control system into a precision instrument for managing its population and targeting groups at home and abroad.
🔖 Read it here: bit.ly/4pFROnR
In ‘The party’s AI,’ Fergus Ryan and Bethany Allen et al. reveal the rise of generative AI is transforming China’s state control system into a precision instrument for managing its population and targeting groups at home and abroad.
🔖 Read it here: bit.ly/4pFROnR
NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔊
We're pleased to welcome Michael Biercuk, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, David Speers and 'Esau Lepa 'i Matangi Tupou to the Sydney Dialogue lineup!
🗓️ With only a few days to go until this year's event, be sure to secure your ticket before sales close 👉 bit.ly/4pdQxEO
We're pleased to welcome Michael Biercuk, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, David Speers and 'Esau Lepa 'i Matangi Tupou to the Sydney Dialogue lineup!
🗓️ With only a few days to go until this year's event, be sure to secure your ticket before sales close 👉 bit.ly/4pdQxEO
December 1, 2025 at 5:58 AM
NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔊
We're pleased to welcome Michael Biercuk, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, David Speers and 'Esau Lepa 'i Matangi Tupou to the Sydney Dialogue lineup!
🗓️ With only a few days to go until this year's event, be sure to secure your ticket before sales close 👉 bit.ly/4pdQxEO
We're pleased to welcome Michael Biercuk, Dr Aruna Sathanapally, David Speers and 'Esau Lepa 'i Matangi Tupou to the Sydney Dialogue lineup!
🗓️ With only a few days to go until this year's event, be sure to secure your ticket before sales close 👉 bit.ly/4pdQxEO
'High-performance computing at scale requires integrated power systems, specialised cooling plants, sovereign cyber architecture, trained personnel and robust data-sovereignty frameworks,' writes John Coyne.
Needed: massive computing power in the Northern Territory | The Strategist
Australia lacks secure, onshore computing power capable of training defence algorithms, running classified simulations or supporting the advanced capability agenda under the AUKUS partnership. Address...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
December 1, 2025 at 4:53 AM
'High-performance computing at scale requires integrated power systems, specialised cooling plants, sovereign cyber architecture, trained personnel and robust data-sovereignty frameworks,' writes John Coyne.
'Viewed as a bloc, the European Union remains a significant force, leading in high-impact research in four of the 74 technologies and breaking the US–China dominance,' write Jenny Wong-Leung, Stephan Robin and Linus Cohen.
ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker: 2025 updates and 10 new technologies | The Strategist
ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker now covers global research efforts into 74 technologies, giving policymakers, industry and partners the clearest, most current picture of the tech race for strategic...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 30, 2025 at 11:12 PM
'Viewed as a bloc, the European Union remains a significant force, leading in high-impact research in four of the 74 technologies and breaking the US–China dominance,' write Jenny Wong-Leung, Stephan Robin and Linus Cohen.
🚨 NOW LIVE 🚨
ASPI's 2025 Critical Technology Tracker update has landed.
The Tech Tracker is the go-to resource for understanding how emerging technologies shape national security and economic advantage.
Explore new technologies, emerging trends and refreshed global datasets 👉 bit.ly/4pbjxx1
ASPI's 2025 Critical Technology Tracker update has landed.
The Tech Tracker is the go-to resource for understanding how emerging technologies shape national security and economic advantage.
Explore new technologies, emerging trends and refreshed global datasets 👉 bit.ly/4pbjxx1
November 30, 2025 at 10:31 PM
🚨 NOW LIVE 🚨
ASPI's 2025 Critical Technology Tracker update has landed.
The Tech Tracker is the go-to resource for understanding how emerging technologies shape national security and economic advantage.
Explore new technologies, emerging trends and refreshed global datasets 👉 bit.ly/4pbjxx1
ASPI's 2025 Critical Technology Tracker update has landed.
The Tech Tracker is the go-to resource for understanding how emerging technologies shape national security and economic advantage.
Explore new technologies, emerging trends and refreshed global datasets 👉 bit.ly/4pbjxx1
Reposted by Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Generous account of our new @aspi-org.bsky.social @defenceaustralia.bsky.social report "Australian Public and Institutional Responses to Taiwan Strait Crises" from Paul Monk in The Australian, with important insights into facing realities of Beijing's threats against the Taiwanese.
November 29, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Generous account of our new @aspi-org.bsky.social @defenceaustralia.bsky.social report "Australian Public and Institutional Responses to Taiwan Strait Crises" from Paul Monk in The Australian, with important insights into facing realities of Beijing's threats against the Taiwanese.
'Australia and the European Union have established an impressive web of agreements and frameworks over the past two years to strengthen critical-minerals cooperation,' writes Alice Wai.
Australia and EU strengthen critical-minerals engagement, but challenges lie ahead | The Strategist
Australia and the European Union have established an impressive web of agreements and frameworks over the past two years to strengthen critical-minerals cooperation. Yet the ultimate test will be whet...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 28, 2025 at 4:37 AM
'Australia and the European Union have established an impressive web of agreements and frameworks over the past two years to strengthen critical-minerals cooperation,' writes Alice Wai.
'Fuel security is not an energy policy issue. It is a national security requirement. It underpins Defence readiness, food supply, transport, emergency response and economic stability,' writes John Coyne.
What a tanker’s dash to Darwin says about our lamentable fuel security | The Strategist
A tanker sprinting against the clock to beat a cyclone shouldn’t be a national-security storyline—but last week it became one. As Tropical Cyclone Fina tracked toward the Top End, port authorities exp...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 10:06 PM
'Fuel security is not an energy policy issue. It is a national security requirement. It underpins Defence readiness, food supply, transport, emergency response and economic stability,' writes John Coyne.
'Europe’s engagement in the region matters deeply, not only for its own interests, but also for the global balance of power amid strategic competition between the United States and China,' write Gabriele Abbondanza and Gorana Grgic.
Fragmentation, distractions weaken Europe's Indo-Pacific pivot | The Strategist
Although it has gained momentum over the past several years, Europe’s Indo-Pacific pivot risks stalling unless it overcomes internal fragmentation, manages strategic distractions and develops a cohere...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 5:48 AM
'Europe’s engagement in the region matters deeply, not only for its own interests, but also for the global balance of power amid strategic competition between the United States and China,' write Gabriele Abbondanza and Gorana Grgic.
🔔 NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔔
We're pleased to announce that Hwang Sunghoon, Alexander Babuta and You-Hao Lai will join the speaker lineup at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
This year's event will tackle AI, cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, quantum and much more.
🎟️ Limited tickets remain: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
We're pleased to announce that Hwang Sunghoon, Alexander Babuta and You-Hao Lai will join the speaker lineup at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
This year's event will tackle AI, cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, quantum and much more.
🎟️ Limited tickets remain: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
November 27, 2025 at 4:04 AM
🔔 NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔔
We're pleased to announce that Hwang Sunghoon, Alexander Babuta and You-Hao Lai will join the speaker lineup at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
This year's event will tackle AI, cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, quantum and much more.
🎟️ Limited tickets remain: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
We're pleased to announce that Hwang Sunghoon, Alexander Babuta and You-Hao Lai will join the speaker lineup at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
This year's event will tackle AI, cybersecurity, hybrid warfare, quantum and much more.
🎟️ Limited tickets remain: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
'A focus on excellence would re-centre reform on measurable outcomes, continuous improvement and learning systems that make government smarter with every iteration,' writes John Coyne.
How business excellence can improve the public service | The Strategist
For many public servants, the term ‘business excellence’ may sound like a corporate cliche, something best left to private-sector boardrooms and glossy management textbooks. But I’ve spent nearly a de...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 26, 2025 at 11:06 PM
'A focus on excellence would re-centre reform on measurable outcomes, continuous improvement and learning systems that make government smarter with every iteration,' writes John Coyne.
🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨
ASPI's new compendium 'North of 26° south and the security of Australia: Views from The Strategist, Volume 12', examines key policy challenges facing the north and offers practical options to bolster security, economic prosperity and social development.
🔖: bit.ly/48pV1B1
ASPI's new compendium 'North of 26° south and the security of Australia: Views from The Strategist, Volume 12', examines key policy challenges facing the north and offers practical options to bolster security, economic prosperity and social development.
🔖: bit.ly/48pV1B1
November 26, 2025 at 10:07 PM
🚨 NEW PUBLICATION 🚨
ASPI's new compendium 'North of 26° south and the security of Australia: Views from The Strategist, Volume 12', examines key policy challenges facing the north and offers practical options to bolster security, economic prosperity and social development.
🔖: bit.ly/48pV1B1
ASPI's new compendium 'North of 26° south and the security of Australia: Views from The Strategist, Volume 12', examines key policy challenges facing the north and offers practical options to bolster security, economic prosperity and social development.
🔖: bit.ly/48pV1B1
'The United States and China are not the only ones who are designing great range into their upcoming combat aircraft. Britain, Italy and Japan have made the same decision,' writes Bill Sweetman.
Meet the NeoVark | The Strategist
The United States and China are not the only ones who are designing great range into their upcoming combat aircraft. Britain, Italy and Japan have made the same decision. The US is developing the Nort...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 26, 2025 at 4:43 AM
'The United States and China are not the only ones who are designing great range into their upcoming combat aircraft. Britain, Italy and Japan have made the same decision,' writes Bill Sweetman.
🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
We're pleased to announce that Janet Egan from @cnas.bsky.social, Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, and Olivia Shen from @usstudiescentre.bsky.social will join us as speakers at #TSD2025 next week!
🎟️ Purchase your ticket here ➡️ bit.ly/43RkvWw
We're pleased to announce that Janet Egan from @cnas.bsky.social, Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, and Olivia Shen from @usstudiescentre.bsky.social will join us as speakers at #TSD2025 next week!
🎟️ Purchase your ticket here ➡️ bit.ly/43RkvWw
November 26, 2025 at 2:27 AM
🚨 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨
We're pleased to announce that Janet Egan from @cnas.bsky.social, Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, and Olivia Shen from @usstudiescentre.bsky.social will join us as speakers at #TSD2025 next week!
🎟️ Purchase your ticket here ➡️ bit.ly/43RkvWw
We're pleased to announce that Janet Egan from @cnas.bsky.social, Mehran Gul, author of The New Geography of Innovation, and Olivia Shen from @usstudiescentre.bsky.social will join us as speakers at #TSD2025 next week!
🎟️ Purchase your ticket here ➡️ bit.ly/43RkvWw
'Digital safety is a measure of how well we protect rights and trust in the digital age. Every woman deserves to be safe in her home, in her community and on her screen,' write Julie Inman Grant and Pio Smith.
Online safety of women and girls is a test of regional leadership | The Strategist
Digital safety is emerging as a new test of regional governance and security. Across Asia and the Pacific, technology is increasingly being exploited to monitor and silence women and undermine social ...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
'Digital safety is a measure of how well we protect rights and trust in the digital age. Every woman deserves to be safe in her home, in her community and on her screen,' write Julie Inman Grant and Pio Smith.
'China and Russia need to demonstrate that they are responsible stakeholders in regional and global affairs. It is their behaviour to which the US, as well as others in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, are responding with their own countermeasures,' writes Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan.
China and Russia seek to deepen defence and security cooperation | The Strategist
The deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia will affect the Indo-Pacific and Europe more than anywhere else. International tension and conflict will increase as countries in these reg...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 25, 2025 at 5:16 AM
'China and Russia need to demonstrate that they are responsible stakeholders in regional and global affairs. It is their behaviour to which the US, as well as others in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, are responding with their own countermeasures,' writes Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan.
🔔 NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔔
We're thrilled to announce that @anthropic.com's Daisy McGregor, the ASFA's Mary Delahunty and Keio University's Michito Tsuruoka, will speak at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
Be part of the region’s leading discussion on tech and security 🌏.
🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
We're thrilled to announce that @anthropic.com's Daisy McGregor, the ASFA's Mary Delahunty and Keio University's Michito Tsuruoka, will speak at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
Be part of the region’s leading discussion on tech and security 🌏.
🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
November 25, 2025 at 2:46 AM
🔔 NEW TSD SPEAKERS 🔔
We're thrilled to announce that @anthropic.com's Daisy McGregor, the ASFA's Mary Delahunty and Keio University's Michito Tsuruoka, will speak at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
Be part of the region’s leading discussion on tech and security 🌏.
🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
We're thrilled to announce that @anthropic.com's Daisy McGregor, the ASFA's Mary Delahunty and Keio University's Michito Tsuruoka, will speak at the Sydney Dialogue next week!
Be part of the region’s leading discussion on tech and security 🌏.
🎟️ Tickets: bit.ly/4oGwHSe
'Strategy can’t deliver certainty; it offers coherence amid chaos, and that message struggles in an environment that increasingly prizes conflict over comprehension. But the demand for coherence has only grown as the world has become more volatile,' writes John Coyne.
Reflections on a decade of writing for The Strategist | The Strategist
I published my 300th Strategist article last week, marking 10 years of writing, arguing and reflecting on Australia’s security, resilience and place in the world. That body of work is more than a stac...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 24, 2025 at 10:17 PM
'Strategy can’t deliver certainty; it offers coherence amid chaos, and that message struggles in an environment that increasingly prizes conflict over comprehension. But the demand for coherence has only grown as the world has become more volatile,' writes John Coyne.
'The success of Australia’s Pacific engagement will not be measured by visits or announcements, but by the continuity and quality of what we deliver together. Northern Australia is already the bridge through which much of this interaction flows,' writes Anna Alexander.
Northern Australia is central to Australia’s Pacific policy | The Strategist
Australia’s Pacific ambitions will only be credible when proximity becomes part of policy design. Northern Australia sits at the centre of the Pacific, not at its edge. Yet, much of our national machi...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 24, 2025 at 4:43 AM
'The success of Australia’s Pacific engagement will not be measured by visits or announcements, but by the continuity and quality of what we deliver together. Northern Australia is already the bridge through which much of this interaction flows,' writes Anna Alexander.
'Despite our famed resilience against natural disasters, Australia still struggles to take catastrophic risk seriously. In this volatile security environment, the divide between short-term comfort and meaningful long-term preparedness remains worryingly wide,' writes Marc Ablong.
Burying its head in the sand, Australia is worryingly complacent to catastrophic risk | The Strategist
Despite our famed resilience against natural disasters, Australia still struggles to take catastrophic risk seriously. In this volatile security environment, the divide between short-term comfort and ...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 23, 2025 at 10:06 PM
'Despite our famed resilience against natural disasters, Australia still struggles to take catastrophic risk seriously. In this volatile security environment, the divide between short-term comfort and meaningful long-term preparedness remains worryingly wide,' writes Marc Ablong.
'Australia needs to balance alliance and autonomy. The Force Design Update locks US presence into the Indo-Pacific for the long term, but it also tests the depth of Australia’s control within that partnership,' writes John Coyne.
As USMC leans on Australian territory, ADF can gain, but we must guard autonomy | The Strategist
The US Marine Corps’ newly released Force Design Update 2025 is a strategic pivot disguised as a technical document. It doesn’t just modernise how the Marines fight; it redefines where they will fight...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
November 21, 2025 at 4:48 AM
'Australia needs to balance alliance and autonomy. The Force Design Update locks US presence into the Indo-Pacific for the long term, but it also tests the depth of Australia’s control within that partnership,' writes John Coyne.