Hudson Institute Panel Event
On 24 January 2024, Senior Analyst Dr. Greg Brown joined the panel at the Hudson Institute event ‘Reinforcing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific’. Alongside panellists James J. Przystup, Japan Chair at the Hudson Institute; Yuki Tatsumi, Senior Fellow, Stimson Center and Lisa Curtis, Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security; Greg offered insights on Australia’s efforts to shape the Indo-Pacific’s strategic environment.
The discussion used Dr. James Przystup’s report on “Reinforcing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific” to reflect on Australian, Japanese, Indian, and US efforts to broaden and deepen security engagement. The event is available to watch on-demand here.
ASPI DC Roundtable with Australian Secretary of Defence, Greg Moriarty
On 19 January, ASPI DC’s Director Adam Leslie had the pleasure of hosting Australian Secretary of Defence, Greg Moriarty, for a roundtable discussion at the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC on 19 January.
The event centered on the nexus between Australian Defence policy and private investment in military infrastructure for force projection, deterrence, and preparedness in the Indo Pacific; natural resources under DPA Title III; and dual-use technology and innovation. Also in attendance were Australian and American private investors with a keen interest in this domain.
The gathering solicited a productive discussion about the importance of growing and maintaining strong partnerships between Defence and private entities focused on shared strategic interests. The ASPI DC team received positive feedback from attendees who hope to continue this dialogue further.
Left to Right: Australian Secretary of Defence Greg Moriarty, ASPI DC Director Adam Leslie, Deputy Head of Mission for the Embassy of Australia Paul Myler.
2023 Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum (ISPF)
On 5 December 2023, Senior Analyst Dr. Greg Brown, provided a Keynote Address at the 2023 Indo-Pacific Strategy Forum (ISPF) in Ottawa—the largest and most comprehensive Indo-Pacific conference in Canada on defence and trade engagement in the region.
The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) and the Canada West Foundation (CWF) co-hosted two-days of ISPF panels and presentations featuring nearly 40 expert speakers from Canada and the Indo-Pacific region.
Occurring a year after the Government of Canada launched its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the 2023 conference was a timely platform for evaluating the progress of the strategy’s implementation, exploring Canada’s broader engagement with the region, and understanding how this engagement is perceived within the Indo-Pacific.
Dr. Brown’s address: A Perspective from Australia: Navigating Relations with China and the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific, outlined Australia’s forefoot foreign policy and its possible lessons for strengthening Ottawa’s relations and influence in Washington.
Quad Technology Business and Investment Forum
On 15 November, ASPI Washington DC Director, Adam Leslie, and Analyst, Bronte Munro, attended the Quad Technoloy Business and Investment Forum held in the margins of APEC in San Francisco. The Forum was hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project, following the success of the inaugural Forum hosted by ASPI in Australia in December 2022. The event provided a forum for further engagement on continued Quad cooperation in key technology areas.
Webinar: Australia’s National Semiconductor Moonshot: Securing Semiconductor Talent
On 15 November 2023, ASPI hosted a webinar with the authors of its 2023 report, ‘Australia’s national semiconductor moonshot: securing semiconductor talent’. Bronte Munro, Dr Robert Clark and Alex Capri joined Dr Alexandra Caples, Director of Cyber, Technology and Security at ASPI, to discuss how Australia can develop a talent pipeline to support a sovereign semiconductor manufacturing industry.
The discussion explored global trends in friend-shoring between allies to address talent pipeline and supply chain security, and examples of effective public-private partnerships that Australia can draw on to develop its own capability. A staged funding approach to kick-start Australia’s manufacturing industry via the National Reconstruction Fund as an initial stimulus for foreign investment was also discussed.