An agile ADF is important and a more versatile naval capability should distinguish Australia’s approach to national defence. The 2020 Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan – which provided the strategic substance for Morrison’s lecture – will begin to prepare Australia for these threatening new challenges. This assumption has been a cornerstone of Australia’s defence policy since the end of the cold war. But these new capabilities and investments – while needed – may miss the broader picture. • Brendan Thomas-Noone is a research fellow of foreign policy and defence at the United States Studies Centre, the University of Sydney

Source: The Guardian July 01, 2020 05:48 UTC