Has the US alliance distorted Australia’s defence plans?

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Join us on Wednesday April 16, in Sydney for a discussion about whether Australia’s close alliance has made Australia’s defence planning better or worse. Does Australia’s defence force need US assistance to defend ourselves? Are we carrying our weight in the alliance?

With recent leadership in Beijing and Washington causing tumult and concern for allies and adversaries alike, Australia must urgently revisit core assumptions and how they impact our defence.

Can we rely on the US? What does this mean for Australian force structure and planning? These questions and more will be explored in a lively three-way discussion covering Australian and American perspectives.

Doug Abdiel is a Lt Col in the US Marine Corps, and has served in the Marines in a variety of full and part-time roles in Australia over the last 15 years. He is also a combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan, and has worked in big-tech (Google) and defence-tech in Australia, as well as being a venture-philanthropy founder.

Sam Roggeveen is the Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute. He has formerly worked at the Australian Office of National Assessments, and Defence Intelligence Organisation, and is the Author of the recent book “The Echidna Strategy: Australia’s search for power and peace”.

Aidan Morrison is the Director of the Energy and Defence programs at the Centre for Independent Studies. He has produced analysis and commentary on naval warfare and military technology, including presented evidence to the Senate Economic Reference Committee’s inquiry into Naval Shipbuilding.