Drones and other uncrewed capabilities to be a big feature of new National Defence Strategy

By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Drone and other autonomous military capabilities will be one of the central features of the 2026 National Defence Strategy and Integrated Investment Program to be unveiled by Defence Minister Richard Marles on Thursday.

The government will invest between $12–15 billion in uncrewed and autonomous systems over the next decade to 2035–36.

This includes up to $8.1 billion in air capabilities, up to $4.5 billion in maritime capabilities and up to $2.4 billion in land capabilities.

The government says investment in smaller uncrewed systems alone will be between $2.2–3.1…

Read complete article

~	The enduring legacy of medieval Christian depictions of Islam in today’s political discourse

~	District school boards have become political hotbeds for book bans and more – here’s what they actually do

~	Gray whales are dying in San Francisco Bay at an alarming rate – this isn’t normal

~	25 million people lost Medicaid after the COVID-19 pandemic — and state policies shaped who stayed covered

~	AIs have ‘personalities’ – here’s how they affect you more deeply than you may realize

~	Artemis II crew brought a human eye and storytelling vision to the photos they took on their mission

~	‘Bouncing back’ is a myth – resilience means integrating hard experiences into your life story, not ignoring them

~	Cannabis legalization spurs innovation, but not always in ways that benefit patients or public health

~	How a new mapping tool helps Florida planners protect wildlife corridors as the state grows

~	Does ‘federated unlearning’ in AI improve data privacy, or create a new cybersecurity risk?