Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Inveterate rule-followers always looking for new rules to follow 020
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Is this a Canberra thing? Drives me up the wall. It’s not a post office you awkward weirdos 110
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 07/10/2026Have the Indian cockroach kids been getting much play outside my bubble? 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 01/10/2026When 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.auHow think tanks can actually influence strategic policyOPINION | Australia is changing fast. To shape policy, move beyond content creation and focus on communicating ideas that challenge stagnant thinking. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 22/09/2026I’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.comA 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 031
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 08/09/2026I really wish they wouldn’t call them that. It’s cringe. But I’ll never pay my allowances back 😬 010
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 07/09/2026I 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.comAustralia needs a tragic statesmanThroughout 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. 021
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Let’s see! I used to go there for books on Southeast Asia but it didn’t have that vibe so much this time. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Yup - you’re welcome? (I had to look closely because what were the odds). 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 03/09/2026I’m also a little tired of comments like ‘just do more with Indonesia’ without the accompanying ‘here’s what I think that looks like, and why I presume Jakarta would be up for it.’ Maybe our thinking will mature a bit as our privilege declines. We can’t keep the world at bay forever. 120
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 24/08/2026I heard a lot of angst about his ideas in the early 2010s, but extreme few could articulate why. He’s played a really important role. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Right up @drtom-historian.bsky.social’s alley! 010
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 12/08/2026A 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.comUnlocking the Puzzle in India-Australia Defence-Industrial Cooperation - CSDRDrawing 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... 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 01/08/2026😬 www.propublica.org/article/anth...propublica.orgAnthropic’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... 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 19/07/2026So 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 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 16/07/2026I don’t have any respect for Hegseth. But this mightn’t be as ridiculous as it sounds. Some military jobs (especially the most physically demanding and stressful ones) cause serious health issues, including chronic hormone imbalances. There’s a bit of context to this, despite Hegseth’s immaturity. 000
Reposted by Kim Heriot-DarraghThomas Rogers @drtom-historian.bsky.social · 07/07/2026Looking forward to presenting at "Imperialism & Resistance: Australia's First Wars" in September at the Australian War Memorial. Register here: www.awm.gov.au/conference 021
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026ACT libraries are so valuable I’ve been wanting to work in them. One of the few spaces for any kind of community, I think. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Yeah. It doesn’t mean I don’t think these visits are important (or that relationships aren’t making crazy progress). But we use visits to spur bureaucratic momentum (‘we need x signed by the time y meets z’), and sometimes we create a rod for our backs that way. Let’s see I guess … 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026I’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.auModi met with support and human rights protests as he arrives in MelbourneA 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. 221
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 08/07/2026A 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.comNarendra Modi’s visit to Australia will be a display of strategic pragmatismThe Indian leader is visiting for the third time. Australia and India will be united in their shared geopolitical interests, if not their domestic approaches. 043
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 19/06/2026I’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. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 12/05/2026It’s one of the reasons I found Da Five Bloods tough to watch, especially after it was lauded so much within the US. (I also think it made a mockery of soldiers’ trauma, but that’s a different thing). 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/04/2026It was pretty inspiring hearing Neri Colmanares talk about it at ANU a little while back. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 21/03/2026What a pity! I’d started some of the earlier chapters and they didn’t really grab me; I’d hoped it might pick up … 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 15/03/2026Sometimes adversaries know more than we assume, and sometimes less - so why diminish uncertainty for them? Unless it’s part of a denial and deception campaign. But if it was, what would the objective be - to give Iran false confidence? 111
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 10/03/2026I 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.auSenior ADF source confirms Australian Army preparing for warA confidential source has told The Nightly that the Army has begun preparing for deployment, despite Foreign Minister Penny Wong ruling out combat operations. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 09/03/2026Thanks for reading it, and the shoutout Mark! 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 07/03/2026Teen to hear your thoughts. I started nearly a year ago and you’ve reminded me to pick it up again! 110
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026I don’t defend the US or Israel for unlawfully starting this, but just for the sake of clarity the vessel was not unarmed and reports that participants weren’t carrying live ammunition should be treated with a lot of caution. 020
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026These arrangements carry risk obviously; most of these have been covered by media (🇦🇺 presence in US facilities in Middle East - and clearly there are implications for our international relationships). As some others have pointed out, this might get harder to manage. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026Humans and relationships can make it complicated. I know people who’ve found it tough to detach in the moment after training and working hard with teammates when a real job came up. They still did it. They weren’t stuck on a submarine though. 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026I don’t know what this looks like in a Navy context. I assume there was an agreement about the scope of peacetime activities, as well as an acknowledgement of the reality that the submarine ultimately works for the US - so in case of war, the crew may be along for the ride. 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 06/03/2026I’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.auAustralians on US sub sat out operation to sink Iranian ship, PM saysThe prime minister confirms three Royal Australian Navy personnel were on board a US submarine that sank an Iranian warship earlier this week. 120
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 05/03/2026I wonder how much all this chaos is raising two threats in the US and maybe Australia too: terrorism and espionage. 000
Reposted by Kim Heriot-DarraghNY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 04/03/2026Analysis | 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. 1567569
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026This’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.auDeputy chief of army warns ADF has become 'detached' from violent nature of warMajor 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. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 27/02/2026Nice 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? 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/02/2026The 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.auDuterte launched 'systematic attack' on Philippine civilians, ICC prosecutors sayAn 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. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Oh that’s as high as it goes. Undefeated 010
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 23/02/2026You can end this. You have the power 100
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 21/02/2026Not 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.auTaiwan’s military confronts Navy in sensitive waters transitTaiwan’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... 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 18/02/2026I’m glad but also incredibly fatigued that we’re doing another round of soul searching on Asia literacy and decline-of-language learning. 000
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 18/02/2026I suppose economic ties are often the same thing in this context. I’m still sometimes surprised at how much we over-estimate our ability to connect or influence regionally. 010
Kim Heriot-Darragh @kimheriotdarragh.bsky.social · 18/02/2026I 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. 221