The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) is a university-based institute that is situated in the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
. It is Australia's oldest-established centre for the study of strategic, defence and wider security issues and a leading regional
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
on these topics. The centre was established in 1966 by Professor
T.B. Millar, then a senior fellow at the ANU's Department of International Relations, in order to "advance the study of Australian, regional, and global strategic and defence issues". The current head of SDSC is Brendan Taylor. Previous Heads include
Emeritus Professor Paul Dibb and
Professor Hugh White, who both also served as the
Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence of the
Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philipp ...
.
Focus
The key priorities of the SDSC are to contribute to the national public debate on strategic, defence and wider security issues
.. foster regional dialogue and interactions on security questions
.. publish top quality scholarly research
nddeliver high-quality undergraduate and graduate teaching
Work
To do so, the SDSC publishes the peer-reviewed Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence as well as the SDSC Working Papers. Additionally, it attracts highly regarded speakers (both from academia and the defence community) in its seminar and conference program. It awards high-performing PhD students with the ''Sir Arthur Tange PhD Scholarships in Strategic & Defence Policy'' (named in honour of the former Australian
Secretary of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
) and outstanding postgraduate students with the T.B. Millar Scholarship.
The SDSC staff gives frequent lectures and seminars for other departments within the ANU and other universities, as well as to various government departments. The centre has also assisted Australia's major defence training institution, the
Australian Defence College
The Australian Defence College (ADC) comprises three joint education and training organisations operated by the Australian Defence Force in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory:
* the War College,
* the Australian Defence Force Training Cent ...
, with the strategic studies sections of its courses. Members of the Centre provide advice and training courses in strategic affairs to the
Australian Department of Defence
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
and the
Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...
. The SDSC, furthermore, delivers the ''
Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence Program'' and is host of the Boeing Library.
The staff of the SDSC has established professional links with other Australian and overseas universities and centres specialising in strategic and security issues as the Centre aims to foster an enhanced pattern of liaison through the exchange of ideas, personal contacts and, where appropriate, joint projects. The scholars at the SDSC do also provide expert commentary on important defence issues to the Australian and overseas media.
Notable faculty
Current staff include
Hugh White, Paul Dibb,
Joan Beaumont
Joan Errington Beaumont, (born 25 October 1948) is an Australian historian and academic, who specialises in foreign policy and the Australian experience of war. She is professor emerita in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Austral ...
,
Chris Barrie
Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown, 28 March 1960) is a British actor, comedian, and impressionist. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show ''Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in the ...
(former
Chief of the Defence Force),
Daniel Marston,
David Horner
David Murray Horner, (born 12 March 1948) is an Australian military historian and academic.
Early life and military career
Horner was born in Adelaide, South Australia, on 12 March 1948. He was raised in a military household—his father, Mur ...
, and
Garth Pratten.
[ ]
The SDSC is part of the
Council for security cooperation in the asia pacific The Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) is a "non-governmental (second track) process for dialogue on security issues in Asia Pacific." There are currently twenty one member committees of CSCAP (from Australia, Cambodia, Ca ...
, a nongovernmental process for second track dialogue on security and defence issues in Asia Pacific.
Boeing Library
The Boeing Library is a library based at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. The library started in the 1960s and served as a small reading room for the staff of the SDSC, which was then a research centre only. With the assistance of an annual grant by
Boeing Australia
Boeing Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, or simply Boeing Australia, is Boeing's largest subdivision outside the United States. Established in 2002, the company oversees its seven wholly owned subsidiaries, consolidating and co-ordinating Boeing’s ...
the library expanded in the late 1980s to include an extensive range of books and journals on defence policy and planning, military studies and regional security issues.
The Boeing Library is important to the academic and research staff at the centre as well as at the ANU. Its holdings cover the following fields: Australian defence policy and planning,
military studies, classical theorists on the causes and conduct of war, the
laws of armed conflict
International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by prot ...
, ethics and nuclear issues (like
proliferation and
arms control
Arms control is a term for international restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation and usage of small arms, conventional weapons, and weapons of mass destruction. Arms control is typically exercised through the u ...
). The library keeps important collections on the United Nations and
peacekeeping
Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare.
Within the United N ...
, and the politics, society and foreign and defence policies of the countries in the Asia-Pacific. It continues to subscribe to major strategic and defence journals which are not part of the main University library collection.
So far, the Boeing Library is not a borrowing library, but is open to the public for 'in-house' use during weekdays.
References
External links
About the Strategic and Defence Studies CentreStrategic and Defence Studies Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strategic And Defence Studies Centre
Australian National University
Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in Australia
Think tanks established in 1966
1966 establishments in Australia
Military strategy