Mick Ryan
Mick Ryan is a retired major general who served in the ADF for more than 35 years and was commander of the Australia Defence College. He is the author of War Transformed: The Future of 21st Century Great Power Competition and Conflict.
Opinion
South China Sea
Rudd is right – we can’t wish away a war with China
Australia needs to start thinking more deeply about the very real prospect of a war with China – and it must appreciate that Taiwan is only one potential trigger for conflict.
- by Mick Ryan
Latest
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Why the West won’t want Poland strike to trigger a wider war
Neither NATO nor Russia will want a fatal missile strike in Poland to be a pretext for a widening of the war in Ukraine. The West is already responding with caution.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Why Putin needs a story that may even include some facts
In his September annexation declaration, Putin told the Russian people that Kherson is part of Russia. He will need to justify the withdrawal and distract the domestic audience from it.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
China relations
The pros and cons of hosting B-52s on our shores
The deteriorating security environment in the Western Pacific means that Australia’s defensive situation continues to grow more perilous.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Winter is coming: How Ukraine can use the cold to its advantage
As the weather turns cold and the days shorten in Ukraine, military tactics on both sides will inevitably change.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Lessons for Australia from Putin’s missile attacks on Ukraine
Australia is extremely vulnerable to the types of missile attacks seen in Ukraine over the past week. That’s why decision-makers in Canberra must invest in the right weaponry to boost our strategic defences.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Putin has mastered the art of atrocity, but it won’t win him this war
These attacks are given a thin veil of legitimacy by the Russian military by calling their targets “military”, but nothing is further from the truth.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Australia’s pitiful support for Ukraine sends the wrong message to China
Australia’s aid commitment to Ukraine ranks beneath much less wealthy countries such as Malta. We can, should and must step up our commitment to the war-torn country.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
As Putin desperately mobilises, hope is not a valid option for the West
Those who hope for an end of Putin as a result of the Russian mobilisation debacle rest their case on slim evidence and lots of soothsaying.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
I met President Zelensky, an even larger presence than social media suggests
He’s slight of stature but enormously engaging, funny and charismatic. One only has to be in his presence for a short time to see why his leadership has been central to Ukraine’s efforts in this war.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Ukraine’s southern offensive signals new stage of brutal combat
The political dimensions of the latest phase in the Russia-Ukraine war are as important as the military ones – for both sides.
- by Mick Ryan