SDSC’s research has long been at the forefront of Australian defence policy debate and development. We are particularly renowned for our work on the conceptual foundations of Australian strategic policy, and most of the relevant key scholarly texts on Australia’s defence have been written here.

Two core questions drive the Centre’s research in this area: what kind of armed forces should Australia have? How and under what conditions should these be committed? As with the broader field of Strategic Studies, the SDSC approach to research on Australian defence is multidisciplinary.

Based within a university, SDSC has brought the traditional strengths and virtues of scholarship to bear upon these questions. It also reflects the deep policy experience of policy practitioners who have turned to the academic study of Australian strategic and defence policy questions.

SDSC’s research on Australia’s defence is avowedly impartial. We seek not only to make scholarly advances, but to also generate better informed public and policy debate on Australian defence and security questions.