Policy, Guns & Money

This week at ASPI has been all about space security. We were delighted to be joined by Lieutenant General Nina Armagno, Director of Staff, Headquarters at U.S. Space Force, and Lieutenant General John Shaw, Deputy Commander at U.S. Space Command for a series of space-focused events. To continue the conversation, ASPI’s Bec Shrimpton asks General Armagno and General Shaw about opportunities and competition in space, the difference between U.S. Space Command and the U.S. Space Force, and how Australia and the United States can work together to make sure space is secure and sustainable for all. Guests (in order of appearance): Bec Shrimpton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bec-shrimpton Lt Gen Nina Armagno: https://www.spaceforce.mil/SFB/Display/Article/2387835/lt-gen-nina-m-armagno/ Lt Gen John Shaw: https://www.spacecom.mil/Leaders/Bio/Article/2433977/lt-gen-john-e-shaw/ Background music: Phychic by Ketsa, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

In the second episode of ASPI’s special series ‘What’s In A Name? The Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’, Dr David Engel and Dr Gatra Priyandita speak to Dr Arianto Patunru and Nicola Yeomans, two people who were instrumental in the Partnership’s creation. They explore the economic dimensions of the Australia-Indonesia relationship, existing trade barriers and how to improve public-private partnerships. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Gatra Priyandita: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/gatra-priyandita Dr David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel Dr Arianto Patunru: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/people/academic/arianto-patunru Nicola Yeomans: https://www.kwm.com/sg/en/people/nicola-yeomans.html Music: Psychic by Ketsa, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk

‘What’s In A Name? The Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. In a new special podcast series, ASPI’s Dr David Engel and Dr Gatra Priyandita explore the Australia-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and the ‘five pillars’ supporting it. In the coming weeks, David and Gatra will be joined by leading thinkers on the Australia-Indonesia relationship to discuss the historical background behind and future of the Partnership. In this week’s episode, they speak to Professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar and Allan Gyngell AO about Australia-Indonesia relations, the aspirations for the Partnership and its potential, and the different approaches the two countries take to foreign policy. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr David Engel: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/david-engel Dr Gatra Priyandita: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/gatra-priyandita Professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar: Allan Gyngell AO: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/people/visitors/allan-gyngell Psychic by Ketsa, licensed with permission from the I

This week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Chinese President Xi Xinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia. This was the first time an Australian Prime Minister met with President Xi since Malcolm Turnbull in 2016. David Wroe speaks to Dr Alex Bristow about the significance of the meeting and what this means for the bilateral relationship, as well as other developments from Summit Season so far. At the 2015 G20 Summit, world leaders recognised the risks that state-sponsored cyberespionage posed to the long-term economic growth of nations and their prosperity. Following on from their briefing note to this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit, Dr Ben Stevens speaks to Dr Gatra Priyandita and Bart Hogeveen about why ICT-enabled IP theft still remains an important issue that affects developed and developing nations alike. Mentioned in this episode: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/State-sponsored-economic-cyberespionage_briefing-note Guests (in order of appearance): David Wroe: https://

Fergus Hanson speaks to Rick Rossow about the trajectory of the US-India relationship and lessons for Canberra in how Washington and New Delhi have approached their relationship. They also discuss India’s domestic and foreign policy priorities, including on data security. Staying on the theme of India’s foreign policy, Baani Grewal speaks to Akriti Vasudeva and Dr Teesta Prakash. Their conversation covers the US-India relationship, India-Australia ties, the potential of the Quad and the priorities for these relationships given the rapidly changing strategic environment. With COP27 under way, climate policies and addressing climate challenges are again in focus for governments around the world. Dr Robert Glasser speaks to Professor Joshua Busby about climate and security, how the US Department of Defense is factoring climate change into their planning, and lessons learned for the Australian government. Guests (in order of appearance): Fergus Hanson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/fergus-hanson Rick Rossow:

This week, Moscow claimed that Kyiv is planning to use a dirty-bomb, allegations that the US, UK and French foreign ministers have condemned as “transparently false”. Given the renewed focus on nuclear threats, Dr Alex Bristow asks Kelsey Hartigan about progress on non-proliferation issues, risk reduction and the links between integrated deterrence and non-proliferation. The LAND 400 Phase 3 project and the suitability of infantry fighting vehicles to the ADF’s future needs are hotly contested. ASPI’s Dr Marcus Hellyer speaks to Dr Albert Palazzo about the ADF’s proposed acquisition of the vehicles and whether the scenarios in which they might be deployed merits such an expensive purchase, something Dr Palazzo wrote about his recent ASPI report ‘Deciding the future: the Australian Army and the infantry fighting vehicle’. Pakistan recently experienced its worst floods on record – with over 9 million people displaced and over 2 million homes destroyed. Will Leben speaks to Pakistan’s High Commissioner His Exc

Peter Tesch was until two months ago one of Australia’s most senior and experienced national security and foreign affairs officials. His roles included Ambassador to Moscow and, most recently, Deputy Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Industry at the Department of Defence. As such, no one in Australia has a better understanding of Vladimir Putin’s grip on power, his ambitions for Russia and the enormity of the quagmire he has created for himself with his brutal but incompetent invasion of his smaller neighbour. Peter joined ASPI’s David Wroe for this special conversation on Russia and Ukraine.

In this special episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Justin Bassi speaks to Lisa Curtis, Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS, and former senior director for South and Central Asia on the US NSC, and Bec Shrimpton, Director of ASPI’s Sydney Dialogue and former Senior Advisor - Major Powers to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women. They discuss deterrence – what it is, how it works, whether we have or lack it - and how the US and Australia can work together to achieve their deterrence goals. Guests (in order of appearance): Justin Bassi: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi Lisa Curtis: https://www.cnas.org/people/lisa-curtis Bec Shrimpton: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/bec-shrimpton Music: "this feels different" by Independent Music Licensing Collective (IMLC) via the FreeMusicArchive.org

The Chinese Government is using popular Uyghur and other minority influencers on YouTube to promote a sanitised image of frontier regions such as Xinjiang that is starkly at odds with the picture that has emerged internationally of severe human rights abuses. Fergus Ryan and Daria Impiombato speak to David Wroe about their latest report ‘Frontier influencers: the new face of China’s propaganda’, which identifies an increasingly sophisticated propaganda and disinformation campaign and calls for action from social media platforms. Read the report at; https://www.aspi.org.au/report/frontier-influencers Music: "Carrie White" by Filmy Ghost (Sábila Orbe) via the FreeMusicArchive.org

This week, senior Chinese Communist Party officials are meeting in Beijing for the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, where Xi Jinping will secure a third term as head of the Chinese Communist Party. In this special episode, Dr Samantha Hoffman and Charlie Parton provide insights into the Party Congress – what it is, the importance of ideology and why it matters, as well as initial takeaways from President Xi’s speech and what to expect from the rest of the Congress. Guests: Dr Samantha Hoffman: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/samantha-hoffman Charles Parton OBE: https://rusi.org/people/parton-obe Music: "Up from Here" by Maarten Schellekens - via the FreeMusicArchive.org

Semiconductors are the incredibly sophisticated and complex computer chips that power all modern electronics. They’re essential for everything from smartphones to nuclear submarines and from medical equipment to wireless communications. There’s been an increased focus on semiconductors of late, with the passing of the CHIPS and Science Act in the United States and tensions in the Taiwan Strait over Speaker Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. In this episode, Fergus Hanson speaks to Alex Capri and Professor Bob Clark about the semiconductor supply chain, how geopolitics play into this resource, and why semiconductors matter. They discuss their findings for the new ASPI report ‘Australia’s semiconductor national moonshot’, which details how Australia can develop its semiconductor manufacturing industry. ASPI Report: Australia’s semiconductor national moonshot: https://www.aspi.org.au/report/australias-semiconductor-national-moonshot Guests (in order of appearance): Fergus Hanson: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/fergus-h

Following the Honiara riots in November 2021, the Chinese Communist Party has pushed false narratives in coordinated information operations in an attempt to shape Solomon Islands public perception and to undermine the country’s relationships with Australia and the United States. To discuss this, David Wroe speaks to Blake Johnson, lead author of ASPI’s latest report on the CCP’s information operations in Solomon Islands ‘Suppressing the truth and spreading lies’. With India’s Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar due to visit Australia in the coming days, Baani Grewal asks Professor Ian Hall for his assessment on how India sees its relationship with Australia and the role of Foreign Minister Jaishankar in shaping Australia-India relations. They also discuss India’s relationship with China and Russia, including Modi’s comments to Putin at the recent SCO Summit. Recently, it was reported that the Australian Government would repatriate Australian families of Islamic State members from Syria. 16 women and

Last week, Optus notified the media and its customers that personal data had been compromised in a cyber attack. The compromised data included names, dates of birth, postal addresses, drivers licence and passport numbers. Fergus Hanson and Jocelinn Kang discuss the implications of this breach, the dangers of cyber attacks on critical infrastructure, and why Australia should consider prohibiting the payment of ransom demands. Since 2017, Wall Street Journal’s Liza Lin and Josh Chin have been covering the CCP’s increasing use of surveillance technology to control society, which is featured in their new book ‘Surveillance State’. Dr Samantha Hoffman speaks to Liza and Josh about the use of surveillance tech in smart cities and the challenges of reporting on China following their expulsion. Olivia Nelson speaks to Lisa Sharland about the prospects for UN reform and what the reforms might look like, why the UN remains relevant and key outcomes from the UN General Assembly’s High-level Week. Mentioned in th

Plenty of security experts feel that the defence industry could learn a bit from Silicon Valley when it comes to moving more quickly, embracing disruption and making quicker decisions. One of them is Dr Bill Greenwalt of the American Enterprise Institute, one of the most sought-after US thinkers on defence acquisition. He’s a former Senate Armed Services Committee staffer and deputy defense undersecretary for industrial policy. Today, Dr Greenwalt speaks with ASPI’s Bec Shrimpton about Australia-US industry and tech collaboration, and about how to stay ahead in the innovation race that lies at the heart of today’s strategic competition. In our second segment, ASPI’s Vahri Fotheringham talks to Shane Huntley, the head of Google’s threat analysis group. They discuss Google’s recent six-part documentary about the cybersecurity overhaul the company went through after it was hacked by China in 2009 in what became known as Operation Aurura. They also discuss steps that consumers and companies can take to improve

Legislating a 43% emissions reduction target is a welcome start, but it’s not enough. That was the message from former Kiribati President Anote Tong and former Palau President Tommy Remengesau on their recent visit to Canberra. For Australia to be able to look future generations of Pacific Islanders in the eye, it needs to do more to contribute to lowering global greenhouse emissions, including ending fossil fuel exports. Guests: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anote_Tong - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Remengesau_Jr. Photo: "Pacific Island" by Jamie Oliver - https://www.flickr.com/photos/theworldfishcenter/6324398053 Music: "Acceptance" by Maarten Schellekens - https://freemusicarchive.org/music/maarten-schellekens/artistic-works-2022/acceptance-1/

“Too big to fail.” How’s that for a bit of pressure on the AUKUS partnership on its first birthday? Today on Policy, Guns and Money. ASPI executive director Justin Bassi speaks with Becca Wasser, Defence Fellow and head of The Gaming Lab at the Center for a New American Security. Becca says AUKUS is such an essential show of commitment between friends and allies, that its failure would mean the failure of the US national defence strategy and potentially for the very idea of integrated deterrence. They also talk about CNAS war games – where failure is not just an option but is encouraged and get into some deep questions about a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, including Australia’s role in deterrence and the million US dollar question - when might Beijing decide it’s the right time? Guests: Justin Bassi. https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/justin-bassi Becca Wasser. https://www.cnas.org/people/becca-wasser Music: "Clarity" by Makaih Beats. via the FreeMusicArchive.org

On 8 September, ASPI hosted the event ‘Beyond the sandpit: Counterterrorism and resilience in an age of strategic competition’. The event focused on how we can translate the lessons and gains of the GWOT into a forward-looking, resilience-focused approach that ensures continued support and engagement with Afghan civil society while also addressing long-term security and stability concerns. Following an introduction by ASPI’s Executive Director Justin Bassi, the event began with a keynote address by Saad Mohseni, Director of MOBY Group. Following the address, Siobhan Heanue (Journalist, ABC News) and Matt Anderson PSM (Director, Australian War Memorial) joined ASPI’s Katja Theodorakis for a discussion on building the partnerships needed for a sustainable and secure Afghanistan, learning from history and ensuring countries like Australia are not so distracted by other domestic and international challenges that they miss developments surrounding terrorism and extremism.

In this week’s episode of Policy, Guns & Money, we start with Ulie Yildirim’s conversation about continuity and change in war with Professor Beatrice Heuser, Chair of International Relations at the University of Glasgow. Professor Heuser this week delivered the 2022 J.G. Grey Oration at the Australian War College. She and Ulie discuss her oration message, that we need to rethink many of our longstanding beliefs about warfare. Next; it’s a cardinal question... what have we actually learnt from two-and-a-half years of the COVID-19 pandemic? Everyone agrees that the next biothreat is a matter of when, not if, but what are the future dangers and how prepared are we to face them? To explore these questions and more, Jasmine Latimore speaks with Associate Professor David Heslop from the University of New South Wales’ School of Public Health and Community Medicine. Our guests this week; Ulas Yildirim. https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/ulas-yildirim Professor Beatrice Heuser. https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/socialpolitic

Fergus Hanson speaks to Manuel Muñiz, Provost of IE University and Professor of Practice in International Relations, and former State Secretary at the Spanish Foreign Ministry about how emerging technologies are affecting employment, global leadership and social and economic inequality. They explore the way these systemic inequalities are playing out internationally, and how democratic and authoritarian states are impacted. Speaker Pelosi’s recent visit to Taiwan prompted a predictably strong response from Beijing, including threats of military action. Dr Alex Bristow speaks to Elsa Kania, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS, about China’s reaction and the sentiment within Taiwan, as well as the long-term effects of the latest developments. ASPI’s David Wroe speaks to Lydia Khalil, Research Fellow on Transnational Challenges at the Lowy Institute, about her latest book, ‘Rise of the Extreme Right: A Lowy Institute Paper’, which takes a close look at right-wing ex

In this special episode of Policy, Guns and Money, Dr Marcus Hellyer speaks to Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR and Anduril Industries and Dr Shane Arnott, Anduril Industries’ Chief Engineer. They discuss defence industry, improving defence procurement, and bringing a Silicon Valley approach to deliver capabilities faster. Guests (in order of appearance): Dr Marcus Hellyer: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/marcus-hellyer Palmer Luckey: https://www.anduril.com/leadership/ Dr Shane Arnott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanearnott/ Music: "Viscid" by Signal - via freemusicarchive.org