In April this year, the Australian Government released the Defence Strategic Review which set an agenda of ambitious reform to Defence’s posture and structure. ASPI’s Jen Parker speaks to the US Studies Centre’s Professor Peter Dean, who co-authored the review. They discuss defence strategy in the maritime domain and next steps following on from the DSR, including the Surface Fleet Review, uncrewed capabilities and addressing workforce challenges.

Amidst questions being raised around India’s reliability as a partner for the U.S. and Australia, Baani Grewal speaks to ASPI’s new Senior Fellow Dr Arzan Tarapore about the need to reframe the debate. They discuss the range of opportunity areas in the Australia-India relationship, how Washington views Delhi's role in the Indo-Pacific, and the benefits of clearly defined policy goals in the relationship. They also consider India’s other relationships in the region, including its relationship with China, and the significance of Prime Minister Modi’s visits to Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Defence Strategic Review: https://www.defence.gov.au/about/reviews-inquiries/defence-strategic-review

‘America’s Best Bet in the Indo-Pacific: How Washington and New Delhi Can Balance a Rising China’ by Dr Arzan Tarapore: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/americas-best-bet-indo-pacific

Guests (in order of appearance):

Jennifer Parker: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/jennifer-parker

Professor Peter Dean: https://www.ussc.edu.au/experts/peter-dean

Baani Grewal: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/baani-grewal

Dr Arzan Tarapore: https://www.aspi.org.au/bio/dr-arzan-tarapore

Music: "Think Different" by Scott Holmes, licensed with permission from the Independent Music Licensing Collective - imlcollective.uk