BLUF

Hugh White argues for a strategy of maritime denial to defend Australia's future.

Summary

In his book ‘How to Defend Australia’ Hugh White notes that in the future we may not be able to rely on the US to come to our aid per the ANZUS Treaty. White notes that to defend ourselves against China is going to stretch our resources to the limit. Therefore, he argues, we should adopt a policy of maritime denial and acquiring the relevant capabilities should be assigned a higher priority than that of surface warships and amphibious support forces. White also notes that we might have to consider acquiring a nuclear deterrent. However, not all agree with White's point of view. How do you think Australia can balance managing the effects arising from the political warfare currently being waged globally, and the need to get maritime denial capabilities into service in less time than previously allowed?