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 an ...

. 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-govern ...

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 (Philippin ...

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 and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 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 Austra ...

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 t ...

(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, 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 Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

, 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 ...

, 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 Centre

Strategic 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