Message from the Head of College: June 2025

At this mid-year point in 2025, shocks and trends globally continue to underscore the importance of national security. Here at the ANU National Security College, we are focused on more than just keeping pace – we are also trying to anticipate how best we can help with Australia’s preparedness and resilience. This month our ambitious Community Consultations program is on the ground in Western Australia, helping to build a clearer research picture of what Australians think when they think about security. We are encouraging the widest possible range of submissions to this important consultations process, so I encourage you to share the Issues Paper widely in your networks.

Our latest short-course education programs are reaching hundreds of Australian Government officials on topics ranging from regional geopolitics to submarine capability. Our academic program has engaged a record number of students, and is working with our student society and government stakeholders for inspiring discussions on career advice.  Our futures team has lifted analytical and forecasting capability across government departments beyond the traditional national security community. We’ve delivered a program on geoeconomics to officials in Indonesia and hosted visiting experts and officials from Southeast Asia, the South Pacific and the United States for frank discussions on strategic issues of shared concern. Our expert commentary has helped make sense of the future of the US alliance and Australia’s engagement with NATO. And I’ve valued the opportunity to share Australian security perspectives at the region’s premier security summit in Singapore.

Last week a twice-yearly meeting of the College’s Advisory Board gave a welcome endorsement to the direction of our work. In a challenging environment, I commend the efforts of our team. In our 15th anniversary year, future issues of this newsletter will look at the NSC journey since 2010 and how we are positioning to engage minds for Australia’s future.