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Kim Heriot-Darragh

@kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social
123 followers 200 following 207 posts

Researcher, Australia India Institute. Non-Resident Fellow at Council for Strategic and Defense Research. Interested in defence, strategy and international law. substack.com/@kimheriotdarragh

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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
When I worked in government, I never saw an Australian think tank influence defence or strategic policy. That doesn’t mean they can’t.
themandarin.com.au
How think tanks can actually influence strategic policy
OPINION | Australia is changing fast. To shape policy, move beyond content creation and focus on communicating ideas that challenge stagnant thinking.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I’ve been nursing a niche question for a decade: could growing public attention on maritime issues lead some states to object more consistently to foreign navies off their coast? Not quite the same question @redunley.bsky.social examines here but really worth a read.
warontherocks.com
A Sea Control Revolution?
Sea control has changed. In recent years, there has been a quiet revolution in maritime strategy that has seen navies increasingly expected to exert
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I think 🇦🇺 still looks for the risk-free option in things because we had it good for so long. Most options involve risk now, and it’s a matter of choosing which kinds we can live with. We haven’t built that muscle memory. Iain’s piece was a nice read from that perspective.
engelsbergideas.com
Australia needs a tragic statesman
Throughout Australian history, few leaders have understood geopolitical tragedy. The optimism-bias of the 'lucky country' leaves it ill-equipped to deal with an increasingly volatile Indo-Pacific.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
A lot of discourse around 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence industry cooperation is frustrating: a lot of cheerleading, but not much analysis. Refreshing to see Victor Abramowicz and Gaurav Saini take the conversation forward. Looks great!
csdronline.com
Unlocking the Puzzle in India-Australia Defence-Industrial Cooperation - CSDR
Drawing on verified procurement records, budget documents and industry data from both countries, the report identifies near-term matches between documented Indian requirements and established Australi...
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
😬 www.propublica.org/article/anth...
propublica.org
Anthropic’s New AI Model Can Identify More Software Bugs Than Ever. Microsoft Is Struggling to Fix Them Fast Enough.
Anthropic’s Mythos has flagged bugs faster than Microsoft can fix them. Documents reviewed by ProPublica reveal the tech giant's “mad dash” behind the scenes to patch holes before hackers can find and...
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
So much public discourse on UNCLOS is tired and simplistic. This piece by Achin Vanaik is a refreshing critique of the treaty and its underlying logic. www.tni.org/en/article/t...
tni.org
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Thomas Rogers @drtom-historian.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Looking forward to presenting at "Imperialism & Resistance: Australia's First Wars" in September at the Australian War Memorial. Register here: www.awm.gov.au/conference
Poster for Australian War Memorial history conference "Imperialism & Resistance: Australia's First Wars", 17-18 September 2026 in Canberra. Registrations now open at https://www.awm.gov.au/conference
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I’m open to being wrong, but I think some caution is warranted before we buy into too much hype about 🇦🇺🇮🇳 defence industry cooperation. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07...
abc.net.au
Modi met with support and human rights protests as he arrives in Melbourne
A large swathe of the Indian diaspora wants to warmly welcome Narendra Modi to Melbourne, but others demand Australia put pressure on him over his human rights record.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
A nice overview of Australia-India ties ahead of PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia - by my colleague @teepra.bsky.social theconversation.com/narendra-mod...
theconversation.com
Narendra Modi’s visit to Australia will be a display of strategic pragmatism
The Indian leader is visiting for the third time. Australia and India will be united in their shared geopolitical interests, if not their domestic approaches.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
I’m noticing a lot of commentary on the INDOPACOM ➡️ PACOM name change assumes the messages 🇺🇸 is sending are the same ones the region is receiving. They’re important to delineate, regardless what position you take.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
I don’t know what military contributions 🇦🇺 will or won’t make to this campaign. But the fact that ADF elements are ‘planning’ doesn’t mean much. Their job is to continually plan for all sorts of scenarios (and planning is a useful exercise in its own right).
7news.com.au
Senior ADF source confirms Australian Army preparing for war
A confidential source has told The Nightly that the Army has begun preparing for deployment, despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong ruling out combat operations.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I’ve embedded in US defence organisations a few times. As an embed I’d be expected to remove myself from duties if certain thresholds were met, and as a boss I’d be expected to make sure foreign embeds didn’t have to make that call in the first place.
abc.net.au
Australians on US sub sat out operation to sink Iranian ship, PM says
The prime minister confirms three Royal Australian Navy personnel were on board a US submarine that sank an Iranian warship earlier this week.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
I wonder how much all this chaos is raising two threats in the US and maybe Australia too: terrorism and espionage.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Analysis | George W. Bush's Iraq invasion was preceded by months of meticulous planning, and yet history regards it as a failure. Perhaps Donald Trump's loose, improvised approach to invading Iran will be the key to its success.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
This’ll generate debate, and also comes at an awkward time given that US is processing its own GWOT history - with some convinced that we didn’t lose because of our inability to tie operations to strategy, but because we didn’t kill enough people.
abc.net.au
Deputy chief of army warns ADF has become 'detached' from violent nature of war
Major General Chris Smith delivered an excoriating address to a major conference last year, declaring "managerial and advertising logic and double speak" had "polluted" the military.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Nice piece. And gets to the heart of the dilemma that Australia hasn’t got an easy formula for: are we more likely to have influence by keeping these conversations private or making them public?
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The Philippines’ arbitral tribunal against China was genius for its potential to build support and shape how the SCS is discussed - even if Duterte squandered it. Those days almost feel quaint now given current pressures on international law. To see Duterte before the ICC still blows my mind.
abc.net.au
Duterte launched 'systematic attack' on Philippine civilians, ICC prosecutors say
An International Criminal Court prosecutor tells judges that former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte personally instructed members of a death squad to kill suspected criminals and drug users.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
Not sure exactly what airspace was involved, but this is probably a good reminder that China isn’t the only entity that sees freedom of navigation and overflight norms different than us. (It’s the only one that uses coercion and dangerous tactics to make the point though).
thewest.com.au
Taiwan’s military confronts Navy in sensitive waters transit
Taiwan’s Air Force has warned an Australian navy helicopter to leave sensitive airspace during an overnight maritime operation in which an Anzac-class warship transited through contested waters near C...
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I was asked to lead a Southeast Asia team in government once and laughed at my boss who said ‘we’ve rediscovered Asia, so you’ll have resources.’ I’d heard that before. Government is invested now, but we shouldn’t conflate strong official ties with depth where it counts: people and economies.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
To use Chinese police to threaten delivery drivers in Australia would tell us something about levels of confidence and impunity - and what else the state would be willing to do if the stakes for it were higher.
abc.net.au
HungryPanda delivery drivers say police contacted family back home
Riders embroiled in a dispute over pay and conditions with food delivery company HungryPanda in Sydney say Chinese police have asserted pressure back home to stop them protesting.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
New Zealand sending a defence adviser (DA) to India is good news. Like Australia, it wants more 🇮🇳defence engagement in our neighbourhood. This may ease some friction for India’s DA in Canberra too (cross-accredited to NZ and one or more Pacific Island countries). ipdefenseforum.com/2026/02/indi...
ipdefenseforum.com
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I agree that this won’t be an ironclad military alliance. But I hope media doesn’t therefore miss its larger significance: solidifying a rhythm of defence cooperation, making it more resilient to inevitable ups and downs in the political relationship. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02...
abc.net.au
Albanese lands in Jakarta to sign security pact with Indonesia
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Jakarta to sign the treaty, which the Australian government calls the "biggest step" the countries have taken together in 30 years.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I found the article’s opening anecdote interesting. Ideally the military and government would agree to some proposed escalations of force for baseline scenarios in advance, freeing up brain space (and time) to consider trickier scenarios. Easier said than done though.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Why was this so excellent
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Hunter Marston @hmarston.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
#Myanmar’s junta just concluded the third phase of its deeply unfair and unrepresentative elections, manufactured to ensure the military’s continued political control. I wrote about the sham elections for @asiapolicy.asiasociety.org’s Ballot Box series here: asiasociety.org/policy-insti...
asiasociety.org
Military Elections Will Not Resolve Myanmar’s Deeper Problems
Dr. Hunter Marston analyzes Myanmar's election process and post-election scenarios.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
Happy Republic Day India. The 26th doesn’t unify Australia in the way it does India. But it gives us an opportunity to reflect on the 🇦🇺🇮🇳 relationship. And on the contributions of Indian Australians. I’m grateful for both. m.youtube.com/watch?v=QoRp...
m.youtube.com
How to Talk Australians - Episode 6: ‘THE SLACKARSE COUNTRY’
YouTube video by How to Talk Australians
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
As Teesta Prakash reminds me, I’m a dork and a troglodyte - so no surprise I hadn’t heard of Heated Rivalry. But she and Mikaela Lui make some really important observations, especially for Australia. We haven’t invested in soft power as much as we should. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
lowyinstitute.org
Heated Rivalry: Canada's soft power flex
A hit Canadian TV series showcases everything that’s right about cultural confidence.
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The Great Pumpkin Papers 🎃🎃🎃 @professormusgrave.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Tired of playing Atrocity Gotcha, where if you condemn one atrocity you are interrogated about whether you have condemned all atrocities to the precisely correct scale
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
It hardly seems urgent given everything else happening right now. But I’ve seen suggestions online that Australia provokes China with spy planes. Here’s my attempt to ground the conversation a little. open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com
Why does Australia fly 'spy planes' in the South China Sea?
Debate over defence and strategic affairs in Australia is sharpening.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Eep www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
End of western alliance means UK must be bolder, says Chatham House director
Bronwen Maddox says Trump’s rejection of international law leaves UK and Europe facing huge dilemma
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
It feels almost redundant to forward on this platform - it’s really twitter that’s awash with bizarre and misleading reports following the attack in Bondi. Still though.
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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
News Team,
Thank you for the notes and texts. I apologize for not reaching out earlier.
I learned on Saturday that Bari Weiss spiked our story, INSIDE CECOT, which was supposed to air tonight. We (Ori and I) asked for a call to discuss her decision. She did not afford us that courtesy/opportunity.
Our story was screened five times and cleared by both CBS attorneys and Standards and Practices. It is factually correct. In my view, pulling it now-after every rigorous internal check has been met is not an editorial decision, it is a political one.
We requested responses to questions and/or interviews with DHS, the White House, and the State Department. Government silence is a statement, not a VETO. Their refusal to be interviewed is a tactical maneuver designed
to kill the story.
If the administration's refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, wehave effectively handed them a "kill switch" for any reporting they find inconvenient.
If the standard for airing a story becomes
"the government must agree to be
interviewed," then the government effectively gains control over the 60 Minutes broadcast.
We go from an investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state.
These men risked their lives to speak with us.
We have a moral and professional obligation to the sources who entrusted us with their
stories. Abandoning them now is a betrayal of the most basic tenet of journalism: giving voice to the voiceless.
CBS spiked the Jeffrey Wigand interview due to legal concerns, nearly destroying the credibility of this broadcast. It took years to recover from that "low point." By pulling this story to shield an administration, we are repeating that history, but for political optics rather than legal ones.We have been promoting this story on social media for days. Our viewers are expecting it.
When it fails to air without a credible
explanation, the public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship. We are trading 50 years of "Gold Standard" reputation for a single week of political quiet.
I care too much about this broadcast to watch
it be dismantled without a fight.
Sharyn
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
I’m cringing so hard it hurts.
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AAP FactCheck @aapfactcheck.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
A two-year-old clip is being misrepresented to suggest a group of Muslims was filmed in Sydney celebrating the Bondi Beach terror attack. www.aap.com.au/factcheck/ol...
aap.com.au
Old footage recirculated in misleading Bondi Beach 'celebration' claims
A two-year-old clip is being misrepresented to suggest a group of Muslims was filmed in Sydney celebrating the Bondi Beach terror attack.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
This is true, I think. Our overuse of jargon can also obscure lazy thinking. And as a corollary, it’s not helpful that the loudest voices expressing concern about China’s military build up are often easy to write off as conservative boomer types. We can do better.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
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.
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David M. Andrews @davidmandrews.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
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. 🧵
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
You probably know what a FONOP is. But do you really? open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com
Think you know what FONOPs are?
You probably know what a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) is.
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Tze Ming Mok 莫志明 @tzemingdynasty.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
"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."
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Ian Hall @drianhall.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
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.
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Jack Murphy @jackmurphyrgr.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Damn bro
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Erin Cook @erincook.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
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.
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
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 👇
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Some initial thoughts following the Indian defence minister’s visit to Australia: open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com
Quiet confidence: Indian Defence Minister's visit to Australia shows ties are maturing
India’s Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh visited Australia in October - the first such visit since 2013 - and it unsurprisingly drew attention.
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eileen chengyin chow @chowleen.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
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...
chosun.com
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders
National Defense Ministry Honors 11 Soldiers for Refusing Illegal Orders Honored for rejecting illegal orders during martial law, Marine death probe
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
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...
lowyinstitute.org
Complacent nation: Australia and the Asian Century
Decades of ambition have left us with a nation still unable to speak the language of our neighbours.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
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.
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Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 10/09/2025
As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel
theguardian.com
As an Australian-Indian, I’m furious at the racism playing out on a national stage. It is exhausting | Zoya Patel
It feels like no matter how long we’ve been here, we’re just not enough * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Being an Indian immigrant in Australia is exhausting. The irony that many of us are here because our parents, or their parents, chose this country in their quest for a “better life”, after our own country was decimated by British colonialism, is not lost on me. My own ancestors were shipped from India by the British to Fiji to work as indentured labourers – ostensibly slaves – on Australian-operated sugar farms in the late 1800s. Multiple generations later, after enduring political and social exclusion in Fiji and being subject to racist rhetoric and political violence, my parents worked insanely hard to find a pathway to Australia, so that their children could escape the cycles of poverty and entrenched disadvantage that they lived through. Continue reading...
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Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
open.substack.com/pub/kimherio...
open.substack.com
If any country lost the India-Pakistan clash, it may have been the US
A talk for the Australian Institute of International Affairs
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Thomas Rogers @drtom-historian.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
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...
wm.awm.gov.au
A Painted Proclamation | WM
WM | Inspiring stories - Expert insights
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