New research shows how vulnerable Australia would be to attacks on shipping in the Indian Ocean

Australia conducts ninety-nine percent of its global trade by sea, but new research is raising alarms about how vulnerable those supply lines really are. The Conversation Australia reports on war games that tested military responses to Indian Ocean disruptions, conducted by Stanford, La Trobe, and Australian National University with nine former senior defence officials from Australia, India, the United States, and Japan. The simulations found that even a single successful attack on shipping in the central Indian Ocean could trigger war-risk premiums, costly route diversions, or a complete withdrawal of commercial traffic from the region. Growing threats from China's expanding submarine presence, plus potential disruptions from Iran and Houthi rebels, compound the challenge—underscoring Australia's need for deeper partnership and intelligence-sharing with the United States and India.

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