France-Australia Track 1.5 Strategic Dialogue, 27–28 Jan 2026

Joint statement

On January 27 and 28 2026, the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) and the National Security College (NSC) at The Australian National University, convened a 1.5 Track France-Australia Strategic Dialogue in Paris.

This edition built on more than a decade of cooperation between FRS and NSC, as well as the successful renewal of the bilateral Track 1.5 dialogue in Canberra in December 2024.

The Paris dialogue was exceptional in both scale and level, bringing together about 60 senior officials, former decision-makers, policy experts, and industry leaders from France and Australia. The unprecedented participation underscored the strategic importance of the France-Australia partnership and reflected a shared recognition that the dialogue comes at a critical moment for global security.

Participants discussed the emerging risks to international order driven by intensifying great power competition, the erosion of multilateral norms, authoritarian collaboration and the normalisation of coercion, including economic pressure, information warfare and the threat or use of force. Discussions examined threats to sovereignty, order and democratic institutions, globally and in the Indo-Pacific, European and trans-Atlantic contexts.

As like-minded Indo-Pacific powers, France and Australia face similar challenges and objectives, including resisting coercion while strengthening resilience and preparedness. Dialogue participants discussed France's priority of preserving strategic autonomy and Australia's pursuit of defence self-reliance, in balance with alliances and partnerships.

Moving from analysis to action, the dialogue identified tangible avenues for enhanced cooperation. Promising areas included economic security, defence industry and logistics cooperation, supply-chain resilience, research security, Pacific engagement, critical infrastructure, undersea cables, energy security, and countering disinformation and hybrid threats.

The two convening institutions agreed to identify a small number of concrete policy priorities for deeper consideration and engagement with the French and Australian governments.

The dialogue was co-led by Dr Xavier Pasco, Director of the Foundation for Strategic Research, and Professor Rory Medcalf AM, Head of the ANU National Security College. It benefited from the support of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia.