The Edge

US Defense Implications of Expanding China

This U.S. DoD report assesses China’s global expansion efforts and the implications for the U.S. in terms of military access, logistics, force posture and training. The report has generated discussion and various assessments can be found online across the national security community.

Thoughts from The Edge

Mick Ryan is the Commander of the Australian Defence College. This column from Ryan and his contributors focusses on intellectually preparing members of the profession of arms for strategic competition and future conflict.

Leave No Dark Corner

This article explores high-tech surveillance systems being used in China to monitor and shape its population. The technology demonstrates China’s push to become the world leader in artificial intelligence.

Social Contracts and the Australian Civil-Military Relationship

In Australia, troop deaths in combat remind the public of the terms of employment of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and raise the question of commensurate compensation. One community group is committed to the task of developing a ‘military covenant’ to articulate these terms and compensations based on the idea that the ‘unique nature’ of military service is an invocation of a social contract. But is a social contract really at the heart the Australian civil-military relationship?

Where should we focus our security efforts?

Australians have fought in global conflicts for over a century. We’re in Afghanistan and the Middle East still. The argument is that these far-away wars advance our national interest. But is Australian security better served by focussing on regional alliances?