Australia’s Naval Alliances: Lessons of History
In this first episode for 2026, host Duncan MacRae sits down with John Seymour to discuss ‘Australia’s Naval Alliances: Lessons of History’, his new book exploring the development of Australian seapower and naval forces predominantly in the context of Australia’s relationship with Great Britain; from the latter years of the 19th century, through early Federation and World War I, culminating in the fall of Singapore in World War II and Australia’s subsequent turn to the United States as naval protector.
Reflecting the chronological structure of the book’s analysis, Duncan and John explore critical phases of early Australian political and social debate on naval power and the country’s status as a maritime nation before turning to the book’s topical conclusion, a measured yet provocative comparison to the current AUKUS partnership. Considering the historical themes of imperialism, alliance fragility and reliability, technological advancements, cost, and national strategic interest, Australia’s Naval Alliances poses many questions such as when might the US have their ‘Singapore moment’ and how much “blind faith” are Australian policy makers and defence planners placing in the reliability and strategic intent of our allies?
Link: https://soundcloud.com/saltwater-strategists/5-1-australias-naval-alliances
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