Rory Medcalf
Professor Rory Medcalf AM FAIIA has been Head of the National Security College (NSC) at the Australian National University since 2015. He has led the expansion of the College into policy impact, futures analysis, parliamentary engagement, international dialogue and capacity-building, in addition to its core activity in executive development, academic education and research. It is trusted as a go-to institution in Australia’s policy landscape, with exceptional networks and an alumni of many thousands of security practitioners.
Rory Medcalf has more than 30 years of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, academia and journalism, including as founding Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute. In Australian Government service, he worked as a senior strategic analyst with the Office of National Assessments (now the Office of National Intelligence). He was a diplomat, with experience including a posting to New Delhi, a secondment to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and truce monitoring in Bougainville. He has contributed to three landmark reports on nuclear arms control: the 1996 Canberra Commission, 1999 Tokyo Forum and 2009 International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. His earlier work in journalism was commended in Australia’s leading media awards, the Walkleys.
Professor Medcalf played an early role in developing Australia’s relations with India, and convenes informal diplomatic dialogues (‘track 1.5’ and ‘track 2’) with many Indo-Pacific powers. He has been recognised as a thought leader internationally for his work on the Indo-Pacific concept of the Asian strategic environment, as articulated in his 2020 book Contest for the Indo-Pacific (released internationally as Indo-Pacific Empire and translated into Japanese and Chinese).
He has been an independent adviser to the Australian Government on defence, foreign policy and national security, and represents Australia on the ASEAN Regional Forum Register of Experts and Eminent Persons. He is a member of the editorial board of the Australian Journal of International Affairs, the Board of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, and the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs. He is an Adjunct Fellow (non-resident) with the Australia Chair of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
In 2022, Professor Medcalf was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to international relations and tertiary education. That year he was also recognised with a commendation from the Japanese Foreign Minister for services to Australia-Japan relations. In 2023, he was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute for International Affairs (FAIIA) for contributions to the understanding of the Indo-Pacific.