Stop the World: The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions: Australia’s Cyber and Critical Technologies Ambassador Brendan Dowling

The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions are back!  

Today on Stop the World, we are relaunching our special series – The Sydney Dialogue Summit Sessions. To kick off the series, Alex Caples, Director of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue, speaks to Brendan Dowling, Australia’s Cyber Affairs and Critical Technologies Ambassador.

This conversation covers all things cyber and offers a preview of some of the topics to be explored in Sydney in September. Alex and Brendan discuss the importance of security by design, regional security and the cybersecurity threats our region is facing, and the opportunities the digital transition provides the clean energy transition.

The Sydney Dialogue (TSD) is ASPI’s flagship initiative on cyber and critical technologies. The summit brings together world leaders, global technology industry innovators and leading thinkers on cyber and critical technology for frank and productive discussions. TSD 2024 will address the advances made across these technologies and their impact on our societies, economies and national security.

Find out more about TSD 2024 here: ⁠https://tsd.aspi.org.au/⁠ 

Guests:  

⁠Dr Alexandra Caples⁠
⁠Brendan Dowling

Stop the World: Peace on Ukraine’s terms, with Minister Bill Shorten

In a special episode of Stop the World, ASPI’s Executive Director, Justin Bassi, speaks with Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme and former leader of the Labor Party, Bill Shorten, about his recent attendance as Australia’s representative to Switzerland’s Summit on Peace in Ukraine.

The Minister outlined why what happens in Ukraine matters to Australia and our region, and how it will be important for countries to not only support Ukraine during the conflict, but also with its recovery and reconstruction post-war. They also discuss the impact of the war on people with disabilities, the importance of assistive technologies and how Australia can help.

Guests:

⁠Justin Bassi⁠

⁠Bill Shorten

Stop the World: AUKUS, industry and public support with Sophia Gaston and Eric Chewning

In this episode of Stop the World, we bring you the final interview from our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. And today it’s all about AUKUS.

ASPI’s Director of The Sydney Dialogue, Dr. Alex Caples, is joined by Sophia Gaston, Head of Foreign Policy at Policy Exchange, and Eric Chewning, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Development at HII.

Alex, Sophia and Eric reflect on the progress that has been made on AUKUS, the role of industry in ensuring AUKUS succeeds, and the ongoing challenges such as workforce. The conversation also focuses on political and public support for AUKUS, which has been made even more timely by this week’s UK election, and the looming presidential and congressional elections in the United States.

Mentioned in this episode: The AUKUS goal: balancing power in the region, by Justin Bassi

Guests:

⁠Alex Caples⁠

⁠Sophia Gaston⁠

⁠Eric Chewning

Stop the World: Japan’s security, partnerships and regional strategic outlook with Narushige Michishita

In this episode of Stop the World, we bring you the penultimate episode in our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’.

This interview is all about Japan and regional security. Dr Euan Graham, Senior ASPI Analyst speaks with Narushige Michishita, professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo and Japan Scholar with the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia Program. The conversation covers Japan’s perspective on the strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific, the role of the US-Japan alliance and the evolution of the Australia-Japan relationship. Euan and Michishita also discuss Japan’s major investments in defence, including a promise to increase defence funding by 60 percent, and opportunities to increase regional cooperation on security, including through AUKUS.

Note: This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the conference, so please forgive the less than perfect audio quality.

Guests:

⁠Euan Graham⁠

⁠Narushige Michishita

Stop the World: Russia, North Korea and nuclear threats with Bee Yun Jo and Peter Tesch

This week on Stop the World, we bring you the second episode in our special series recorded from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’.

In this episode, the conversation is all about North Korea, Russia, China and nuclear threats. Alex Bristow speaks to former Australian diplomat and defence official, Peter Tesch, and Dr Bee Yun Jo, Associate Research Fellow at the Center for Security and Strategy at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. They consider the increased alignment and cooperation between Russia and China, and between Russia and North Korea as seen through Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Pyongyang. They also discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, the risks of further escalation by Moscow, and how the West should respond.

Note: This episode was recorded on the sidelines of the conference, so please forgive the less than perfect audio quality.

Guests:

⁠Alex Bristow⁠

⁠Peter Tesch⁠

⁠Bee Yun Jo

Stop the World: Defence innovation and investment with Heather Richman and Linda Lourie

This week on Stop the World, we bring you a special episode from the sidelines of the ASPI Defence Conference ‘JoiningFORCES’. In this first episode of a short series, ASPI’s Director of Defence Strategy and National Security, Bec Shrimpton, speaks to defence innovation and investment experts Heather Richman and Linda Lourie.

They discuss defence innovation and opportunities for the government to work with the private sector to achieve national security outcomes. They also consider how the investment landscape has changed in the United States, including increased willingness from entrepreneurs to invest in national security.

About the guests:

Heather Richman is founder of the Defense Investor Network in the US, and has held a wide array of roles at the intersection of national security, technology, and investment—including at Stanford University and on Capitol Hill.

Linda Lourie is a Principal with WestExec Advisors. She is also a Principal with the Washington Circle Advisory Group, LLC, and a Member of the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s Advisory Subcommittee on Strategic Competition with the People’s Republic of China. Linda has previously held senior roles in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and in the Defense Innovation Unit.

Bec is Director Defence Strategy and National Security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Bec has over 20 years experience in policy, operational and corporate roles in the Australian Department of Defence and DFAT. She has served as senior adviser Major Powers to Australia’s Foreign Minister, and led trade and investment in the defence and space sectors in Austrade.

Stop the World: Securing democracy: countering disinformation in 2024

This week’s episode of Stop the World comes to you from Brussels, where ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi interviewed the Head of Strategic Communications at the European External Action Service Lutz Güllner.

The conversation explored disinformation, foreign influence, manipulation and interference, with Justin and Lutz discussing the importance of countering state backed disinformation and foreign influence campaigns, how these tactics can affect the resilience of open societies, and what can be done to deter them.

With elections due to take place in the European Union (EU), the United States and the United Kingdom in 2024, they also discussed concerns around election interference, the types of campaigns that foreign actors are undertaking in an attempt to manipulate them, and how the EU can work with Indo-Pacific countries to counter these threats.

Guests:

⁠Justin Bassi⁠

⁠Lutz Güllner

Stop the World: EU security and strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific

This week on Stop the World, ASPI Senior Analyst Alex Bristow speaks to Niclas Kvarnström, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European ExternalAction Service, to discuss the European Union’s engagement in and relationship with the Indo-Pacific.

With war in Europe and conflict in the Middle East, they discuss how much capacity the European Union (EU) has to focus on the Indo-Pacific, how Russia’s war on Ukraine has forced a rethink of the EU’s future security, as well as its relationship with China.

And in the episode’s second segment, Alex is joined by William Leben, Expert Associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, to unpack his recent ASPI report ‘Escalation risks in the Indo-Pacific: a review for practitioners’. They discuss the main threats to strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific, how a potential crisis in the region might develop, and whether or not AUKUS will contribute to a balance of power in the region.

Mentioned in this episode:

⁠https://www.aspi.org.au/report/escalation-risks-indo-pacific-review-practitioners#:~:text=The%20outbreak%20of%20war%20in,potential%20miscalculations%20heighten%20the%20risk⁠.

Guests:

⁠Alex Bristow⁠

Niclas Kvarnström

⁠William Leben

Stop the World: Defence innovation and the pathway to Pillar 2 success

This double episode of Stop the World is all about defence innovation.

ASPI’s Director of Defence Strategy and National Security Bec Shrimpton speaks to Anduril’s Vice President of Strategy for Australia and the Asia Pacific Pete Quinn, the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive at Anduril Australia and Asia Pacific David Goodrich, as well as ASPI Visiting Senior Fellow Keirin Joyce.

They discuss the importance of autonomous systems, what role they can play in the Australian Defence Force, and how they can be used to help deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

Later in the episode, ASPI’s Strategic Communications Manager Steph Tiller speaks to Senior Defence Economist and ASPI Senior Fellow George Henneke to unpack his new report ‘AUKUS Pillar 2 critical pathways: a road map to enabling international collaboration’. They discuss the report’s findings and explore the key reforms that Australia should focus on to ensure that Pillar 2 is a success.

Mentioned in this episode:

⁠https://www.aspi.org.au/index.php/report/aukus-pillar-2-critical-pathways-road-map-enabling-international-collaboration⁠

Guests:

⁠Bec Shrimpton⁠

⁠Pete Quinn⁠

⁠David Goodrich⁠

⁠Keirin Joyce⁠

⁠Steph Tiller⁠

⁠George Henneke

Stop the World: Why auld acquaintance should ne’er be forgot

Australia and the United Kingdom have a lot of shared history and values, but not a lot of shared geography. For a long time, that left the strategic relationship feeling a little dusty—a friendship to be taken for granted. But the two countries’ security partnership has a sense of deepening urgency, with the creation of AUKUS, the UK’s Indo-Pacific tilt and the recent signing of a new defence and security cooperation agreement. With Russia’s war against Ukraine and Chinese regional assertiveness, Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific security are increasingly seen as tied.

To unpack these developments, ASPI’s Stop the World podcast is devoting today’s episode to the Australia-UK strategic relationship.

ASPI senior analyst Alex Bristow speaks with UK High Commissioner Vicki Treadell and Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy in East Asia at King’s College London. And in the episode’s second session, ASPI senior analyst Euan Graham speaks with Philip Shetler-Jones, senior research fellow in Indo-Pacific security at the Royal United Services Institute.

Guests:

⁠Alex Bristow⁠

⁠Vicki Treadell⁠

⁠Alessio Patalano⁠

⁠Euan Graham⁠

⁠Philip Shetler-Jones⁠