Previous Events

Some Implications of the Army Reserve Call Out for Operation Bushfire Assist 2019-2020

During the latter months of 2019 and the new year of 2020, Australia experienced catastrophic and widespread bushfires. As the situation worsened, the federal government unexpectedly called out the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserves to bolster an already significant deployment of ADF regular forces to contribute to a massive interagency and volunteer community response. This deployment was the largest ever peacetime domestic ADF operation in response to a natural disaster.

Disinformation in the COVID-19 pandemic

1215-1245: Dr Hunt discussing the impacts of the US Election on Australia and the ADF (inc. Q&A)

1245-1300: Break

1300-1400: Disinformation in the COVID-19 pandemic (inc. Q&A)

Climate Change: An Existential Crisis

Humanity faces a climate crisis that poses a threat to the survival of the species. How we negotiate the future will determine whether humanity survives and in which manner. A large factor in who survives will be decided by success or failure in war. In this talk, Dr Albert Palazzo will consider climate change from the perspective of national security and the role of the military in protecting the nation. He will outline the threat climate change poses to the operation of human-made systems on which humanity depends and the risks their destabilisation poses for civilisation.

Counter-Terrorism Operations in Australia

As the 19 year anniversary of September 11 approaches, Director of Terrorism Studies at Charles Sturt University, Levi West, will reflect on the current and future state of the terrorist threat landscape, and the successes of 19 years of international counter terrorism. As the threat landscape becomes increasingly diverse, dynamic, and complex, ensuring that we remain appropriately calibrated to respond to threats presented by non-state, proxy, and other irregular actors must remain at the forefront of our strategic thinking.

The Australian-US Alliance and the future of the Indo-Pacific Region

Dr Charles Edel will cover various aspects of the evolving security environment, including how the coronavirus is changing the contours of US-China competition.

Living with Giants and fighting Lilliputians: Australia and irregular warfare in the Indo-Pacific Century

The late Coral Bell’s 2005 APSI paper ‘Living with Giants, Finding Australia’s place’ in a more complex world was prescient. The recently published 2020 Defence Strategic Update and 2020 Force Structure Plan are contemporary policy responses to the geo-strategic circumstances foreseen by Bell 15 years ago. They address the risks to Australian security and national interests from changing power relativities and great power competition in the Indo-Pacific.

The Irregulars within Hybrid Warfare

This Seminar will present an overview of the field of Irregular Warfare and how it integrates into today’s discussion of hybrid warfare. Designed to support the Army implementation of the Decisive Action Threat Environment (DATE), this seminar aims to provide an overview of the motivations, organisation and strategies employed by Irregulars. This seminar also summarises the Irregular Warfare course developed for the Masters program in Special Operations and Irregular Warfare at the University of New South Wales, Canberra.

Emotional intelligence attributes as capability: the experiences of military advisors in Train-Advise-Assist roles

This seminar event will present research on the attributes of military advisors which lead to success in Train Advise and Assist roles with foreign military forces.