The investment will advance collaborative air capabilities and transition the MQ-28A Ghost Bat into a fully-operational warfighting asset, as well as strengthen sovereign defence industry leadership in autonomous air combat systems.

The US Marine Corps activated new logistics companies under Force Design 2030 to enhance agile support across Indo-Pacific island chains, emphasizing adaptability, modernization, and rapid response to evolving threats and contested environments.

The UK is developing the first mobile quantum-powered MEG brain scanner to detect blast-related neurological changes in real time, enhancing troop safety, guiding return-to-duty decisions, and advancing research on long-term brain health risks.

Undersea cables face growing physical and cyber threats. Australia is assessing risks and capabilities to safeguard these links—vital to national stability and daily life—as cyber operations become fully active and central to modern security.

With humanoid robots, an era is developing whereby labour is now owned, not employed. Robots offer maximum output at minimum cost, with maximum control and minimum friction. Broader ethical and social impacts need to be considered.

Japan’s new leader wants people to balance work, leisure, and rest. Ironically, engaging in overtime is generally considered an important source of income and career enhancing. Overwork and karoshi (death from overwork) are sensitive issues across cultures.

Over the past decade, online fraud operations across Southeast Asia, characterised by complex political, business and social networks, have generated vast profits from victims around the world. A coordinated international approach is needed to disrupt operations.

Taiwan has announced a $40 billion defence budget for 2026–2033 to boost military capabilities, including missiles, drones, and air defence, aiming to strengthen deterrence against China and raise spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.

Trusted AI will only emerge if security keeps pace with rapid threats — weak safeguards erode confidence, slow adoption, and expose systems to faster attacks; strong controls build resilience and enable safe, long-term use.

Emerging technologies, abundant open-source data, and rapidly evolving threats are reshaping espionage. Intelligence is shifting from secret, compartmented systems to an open, networked, tech-driven environment demanding speed, adaptability, and whole-of-society awareness.