New research shows how vulnerable Australia would be to attacks on shipping in the Indian Ocean

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the US-Iran war has brought home how vital maritime trading routes are to a country like Australia, which conducts 99% of its global trade by sea. Protecting Australia’s supply of critical goods – and exports of minerals, liquefied natural gas and agricultural products – requires maintaining maritime security across vast distances and countering threats far from Australia’s coasts. This task is becoming increasingly challenging as China’s naval presence…