Launch of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s (ASPI’s) Strategy report Scoping Studies: New thinking on security
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) has today released its report, Scoping Studies: New thinking on security, as a major new contribution to policy thinking on national security.
Scoping Studies presents eleven views from a diverse selection of writers, each presenting their own list of the critical decisions the Government must make to keep Australia secure.
ASPI intends that Scoping Studies should contribute to the defence and national security agenda for this new term of government.
ASPI’s Acting Director, Peter Jennings, says “We gave our contributors the maximum flexibility so they could present their personal views about Australia’s key security challenges.”
“But a number of common themes emerged. Many of our authors called for Australia to develop a stronger national security approach. This would involve more closely coordinating Defence and other areas of government like aid, policing, education links and diplomacy to achieve security objectives.”
“There was also a close focus on the US alliance” Jennings said. “Our authors agree that the alliance is important to Asia-Pacific stability, but there is a wide range of views about how closely Australian policy should be linked to Washington.”
There are also diverse contributions on, among other topics:
- How Australia should contribute to a stronger ‘human security’ agenda;
- The need for a new Defence White Paper – and what it should say.
- The challenge of developing a new defence industry policy.
Scoping Studies includes contributions from some of Australia’s leading thinkers on defence and security. Our eleven authors include academics, former senior military figures, and individuals with journalistic, industry and public service backgrounds.
“ASPI is delighted to release Scoping Studies as the latest issue in our Strategy series” Jennings, said.
“We hope these papers will help to invigorate a strong public debate on Australia’s increasingly demanding policy challenges in defence and security.”