This is an important point. Rule of law rhetoric matters, but has diminishing returns if it’s the only thing we centre our approach on.

A roundup of some of my initial reflections in the media on the new Australia-Indonesia Bilateral Security Treaty. In short: a really positive development, and frankly, an exciting one. Lots of water to go under the bridge, ofc, but a big step forward in the relationship. 🧵

You probably know what a FONOP is. But do you really? open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...

"Sources at Parliament, who wouldn’t speak on the record for fear of retribution, said the letter ...revealed how China’s government monitors New Zealanders ...they believe China is sending people to spy on events organised by Kiwi supporters of Taiwan."

Depressing to see that Indian communities in Australia are now being targeted with these phone scams, which have long been a problem for Chinese communities, including international students. This message has been posted on the Indian High Commission's website.

Damn bro

It's such a treat to be an outsider interested in the Philippines — the deeper and deeper you get to know the country the more fascinating it becomes. I hope this conversation helps other Australians get their bearings, especially with a big few years on the horizon.

This month’s Australia India Institute defence conclave was a chance to explore ideas speculatively - not to predict the future, but to scan what shifts might shape 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence cooperation over the next five years. Some interesting themes emerged 👇

Some initial thoughts following the Indian defence minister’s visit to Australia: open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...

The South Korean Ministry of Defense has awarded medals of merit to 11 officers for disobeying direct orders of superiors during the martial law fiasco, orders that they deemed to be contrary to the constitution and endangerment to democracy. www.chosun.com/english/nati...

An important read. It seems like we’re forever warning that Indo-Pacific security is becoming more fraught - but when it comes to equipping Australians to navigate that complexity (by fostering language training among other things), we continually fall short. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Opinion | I’ve dedicated my career to promoting free speech on college campuses. Here’s why the murder of a red state college dropout by another red state college dropout means it’s time to fire liberal professors in blue states.

As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel

Historical pictures don't speak for themselves. A few years ago, I unpacked a lithograph relating to Tasmania's "Black War" of the 1820s and 1830s. The Australian War Memorial now has it up on the website of the new mag, "WM": wm.awm.gov.au/read/painted...

Just finished Dive! by @mikecarlton01.bsky.social - about Australian submariners and their contributions. It’s worth a read. And timely given the renewed interest in the RAN. For a long time our image of ‘defence’ was a soldier carrying a rifle. Perhaps that’s changing.

Revisiting interests from a lifetime ago: kimheriotdarragh.substack.com/p/transgende...

“The extensive hunt for the alleged mole [in MI6], called Operation Wedlock, was run by…MI5, which deployed a team of up to 35 surveillance, planning and desk officers [and] lasted in one form or another for up to 20 years” www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Happening tomorrow!

What lessons should Australia learn from India’s recent military clash with Pakistan? I think there are a few. If you’re in Hobart on 26 June, hope you can join! aiiatas.glueup.com/event/26-jun...

'Unlike homogeneous airpower, the source code of heterogeneous airpower is mostly open, allowing new military and civilian developments to rapidly plug and play within it,' writes Peter Layton.

So far, deportations haven't dramatically spiked under Trump, writes @alibreland.bsky.social. But the administration’s immigration tactics are so shocking, callous, and inescapable that they have generated the appearance of mass deportations.

I’ve found the parade criticism™ fascinating and maybe even a little disappointing, and this comes from someone who would have preferred the Army not to be put in this position in the first place. 1/

The US Army parade was embarrassing for a lot of reasons. But I didn’t expect the volume of armchair warriors who would point at footage of Army Rangers doing lame drill and tell the world with all the confidence of a toddler that these soldiers don’t have unit cohesion or military credibility.

If you’re in Melbourne on 17 June, hope you can join us for this!

I’m no political scientist; I found this useful and interesting, and broadly tracks with how a generalist defence analyst might think about factors increasing or reducing the chances of unintended or escalating violence. Worth reading the whole thing I think.

#Thailand 's military said it is ready to launch a "high-level operation" to counter any violation of its sovereignty, in the strongest words yet in a simmering border dispute with #Cambodia that re-erupted with a deadly clash last week.

I was asked elsewhere why Australia should maintain defence relationship with Pakistan, a sponsor of terrorism. I think 🇦🇺should further wind down its already modest cooperation there, but I’d like to contextualise what defence cooperation is from the ground up.

Australian Deputy PM Marles’ visit to India seemed like a good time for Dr Gaurav Saini and I to lay out some of our thoughts on 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence cooperation for @thehindu.com. Link here: www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-e...

Delhi holds Islamabad responsible for the 22 April terrorist attacks in Kashmir - and is probably nudging 🇦🇺 to wind down its modest defence cooperation with 🇵🇰. It may have a point.

What have Australia and India achieved since concluding the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership deal in 2020? Lisa Singh and I take a look... www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Interesting development! RADM Laubacher has interacted a fair bit with Australians, including on her NSC work on South Asia and as the US defence attache in Delhi. She’s no slouch.

This is a good development ⬇️ www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releas...

Through a mix of subsidised tours, university scholarships, TikTok-style propaganda and influencer outreach, Beijing is trying to win over the generation in Taiwan that has grown up with democracy, freedom and a deepening sense of Taiwanese identity separate from China. tinyurl.com/47pxrcub

If you’re in Melbourne on 17 June, hope you can join us for this!

Indians are rightly frustrated by international audiences’ ignorance of its region. But in making India’s case against Pakistan, some personalities may have conflated two objectives: publicly dominating their sparring partners versus persuading global audiences. They’re not the same thing.

It worries me many of BRS’s public supporters think what happened over there should stay over there or that SASR should police its own. Morally disgusting - and self-defeating. Why do I think those people would be the first to condemn the PLA for mistreating ADF personnel in the next war as savages?

I spy ISI, “Pakistan’s famous brand” as Abhijnan Rej observes in this fascinating read. Draws out the little known story of the Australian spymaster behind the scenes from the outset. Pleased to feature this perspective on Lowy Institute. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

Ex-UK Special Forces break silence on 'war crimes' by colleagues www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The India-Pakistan crisis hasn’t played out just yet, and I’m still murky on much of it. There are a few themes I’m mulling over. The first relates to both sides’ use of drones, which might inform our assumptions about what escalation can look like.

Short thread (hopefully in plain English) on the nuclear deterrence dynamics in the India-Pakistan relationship and where this goes if escalation continues. <1>

This is really important; things have worsened between India and Pakistan overnight, and the situation is serious enough already. Adding more hyperbole to the mix can hinder good decision-making and cost lives. t.co/ztSORicjRf

This stuff is just an inconvenience to those of us watching from beyond India and Pakistan, but it’s potentially very dangerous for others, not least Kashmiris.

'For more than decade, there have been signs that Australia is losing diplomatic access and influence in Indonesia,' writes Greta Nabbs-Keller.

Things are moving quite quickly between India and Pakistan - but I had a crack at contextualising some of the dispute, and what may come next on the ABC. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

This is fascinating

Australia and India need more mutual strategic literacy if their defence relationship is to really take off.

This is really important, and something for Australians commemorating ANZAC day to keep in mind. (Our contemporary force is more diverse than seems to be acknowledged popularly too).

‘Fight back’: journalist taking Trump administration to court calls for media to resist attacks