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STRATEGICCAPITAL

Newsletter of the

Strategic & Defence Studies Centre Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs

SDSC wins prestigious awardThe Military and Defence Studies Program offered by the Strategicand Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) has been awarded the 2016Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Education for Programsthat Enhance Learning. The award was accepted by Professor DanielMarston on the behalf of SDSC, in a ceremony attended by MajorGeneral Simone Wilkie and Australian Command and Staff College(ACSC) staff and students at the Australian Defence College (ADC)last month.

» read more Message from the Head of the Department This is the third e-newsletter intended as a periodic offering from theStrategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australia’s leading university-basedthink tank. It is a pre-digested overview of policy-relevant research, projects,media commentary and upcoming events produced by SDSC staff. Thisissue will highlight Australia 360 and SDSC staff in the media. This isintended as a community service and we welcome all constructive feedbackto john.blaxland@anu.edu.au

Professor John Blaxland, Head SDSC

More stories Australia 360The 8th of August brought together leading researchers, thinkers andpractioners at the third annual Australia 360 conference. The conference isone of the nation’s premier in-depth annual stocktake and forecast ofinternational policy. The keynote address by Shadow Minister for ForeignAffairs Senator Penny Wong highlighted the increasing volatility in

SDSC IN THE MEDIAProf. Bates Gill: Domesticpolitics at play in China's militaryshowcase

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As. Prof. Brendan Taylor: US–China cooperation on NorthKorea remains critical

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Prof. Hugh White: Empty USthreats over North Korea areserving Beijing’s interests

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Dr. Greg Raymond: Thailand:The case for optimism

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Dr. Iain Henry: Empathising withChina

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Admiral Chris Barrie: Are wesleepwalking to World War III?

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As. Prof. Stephen Frühling:Missile defence for Australia?Expensive and probably not wise

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Prof. John Blaxland: Pressurerises on Afghanistan commitment

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Do the lessons of Thucydidesapply to Singapore?

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Pine Gap at 50: why controversylingers and why its utility isenduring

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PodcastsJapan's Security Renaissance:New Directions in Regional and

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Australia’s surrounding neighbourhoods. SDSC staff including Dr AmyKing, James Batley, Dr Greg Raymond, Professor John Blaxland andProfessor Hugh White joined panel discussions that gave acomprehensive overview of the multiple challenges Australia is facing in theregion.

Dr. Mathew Davies, Dr. Amy King, James Batley, Professor RoryMedcalf and Professor Geoffrey Wiseman:» Regional Roundup Professor John Blaxland, Dr. Huong Le Thu and Professor Hugh White:» Australia's changing place in a changing world Dr. Greg Raymond, Eve Warburton, Professor Greg Fealy and GeorgeCarter:» Big Issues Featured Publications Pacific Power? Australia’s strategy in the Pacific IslandsSDSC Senior Lecturer Dr. Joanne Wallis utilises interviews with keydecision makers in the Pacific region to analyse why Australia has haddifficulty exercising influence in the Pacific Islands and identify how Australiacan more effectively influence Pacific Island states in pursuit of its strategicinterests.» read more CSCAP: Regional Security Outlook 2017SDSC Senior Lecturer Dr. Andrew Carr and Assosciate Professor Dr.Stephen Frühling observe that Australian foreign and defence policyremain an elite preoccupation. The bipartisan consensus around majorpolicy settings is as much the result of similar approaches to neutralizevaried domestic pressures as a convincing strategic approach to theuncertainty facing Australia and its strategic environment. Although Australiais now undertaking an impressive expansion of its maritime capabilities, thepolitical imperative for a domestic build means that much of the capability isstill decades away from launch.

In the absence of truly radical change in US policies in Asia, uncertainty andaversion the US president is likely to reinforce Australia’s commitment to thethree main pillars of its defence policy: The maintenance of a robustAustralian Defence Force capable of independent operations if necessary,economic and political engagement with Asia where possible, and supportfor a combination of US military presence and multilateral incentives tomanage the emergence and rise of new powers in the international order.

» read more Pivotal Days - US–Asia-Pacific Alliances in the Early Stages of theTrump AdministrationSDSC Professor Bates Gill observes that the US will confront three bigconcerns regarding its Asia-Pacific strategy. First, the administration needsto deliver a detailed, nuanced, multifaceted and high-level statement,reflective of regional complexities, about the US’s overall vision towards thispart of the world. A second challenge concerns personnel, including the lackof sufficient numbers of senior, experienced policy managers across the topof the administration; the pervasive mistrust between the president and thepublic services, particularly the intelligence community; and the disarray anddivisiveness that have characterized relationships between Trump’s senioradvisers. A third major challenge concerns developments out in the regionitself, and particularly the complex and difficult issues raised by North Koreaand China.» read more

US-Japan Relations - ProfessorAndrew L. Oros » listen

Academic Profile

Dr. Aurore Chow attained herPhD in Social Psychology fromANU with research interestsstemming from a “social identity”understanding of social groups.Previously, Dr Chow has appliedthis approach to studyingdehumanisation and gambling.Currently, her research hasmoved towards the sphere ofprofessional military educationand critical thinking.

Dr. Chow is currently a Lecturerin Professional MilitaryEducation, working as part of anANU collaboration with theAustralian Command and StaffCollege. She is a Fellow of theHigher Education Academy(FHEA) and part of the Militaryand Defence Studies Programawarded the 2016 ViceChancellor's Award forExcellence in Education forPrograms that Enhance Learning.

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Mark the date31st August: Clark Davis IvinsMemorial Endowment Event »read more

11th September: The PolythinkSyndrome in Group DecisionMaking » read more

27th September: Australia’sFuture Submarines: Getting thisKey Capability Right » read more

Centre of GravityCentre of Gravity Series

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What do we do at SDSC?

The Strategic & Defence Studies Centre is Australia's oldest andlargest academic centre focused on strategic and defence issues. Ourexpertise within strategic studies consist of three related researchclusters: Military studies, Australian defence, and Asia-Pacificsecurity. We offer Australia's most respected graduate programsdealing with Australian Defence and Asia-Pacific and global securityissues:

Master of Strategic StudiesMaster of Military & Defence StudiesBachelor of International Security Studies

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