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 university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

. 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 public 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-governme ...

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.

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) 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, 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,

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(former Chief of the Defence Force), Daniel Marston, David Horner, 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 is Boeing's largest subdivision outside the United States. Established in 1997, the company oversees its seven wholly owned subsidiaries, consolidating and co-ordinating Boeing's businesses and operations in Australia. Boeing ...

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, 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 or the laws of war, 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 ar ...

, 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. Historically, arms control may apply to melee wea ...

). The library keeps important collections on the United Nations and

peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...

, 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