Dr Richard Brabin-Smith AO is an Honorary Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre of the Australian National University, where he follows his interests in Australian and regional security. Prior to ANU, he spent some 30 years in the Australian Department of Defence, where his positions included Deputy Secretary for Strategic Policy and Chief Defence Scientist. He had also been Head of Defence’s three principal policy divisions – Force Development and Analysis, Strategic Policy and Coordination, and International Policy.

His recent publications include Defence White Paper 2016:  Defence Science and Innovation (Security Challenges Volume 12 Number 1 2016);  Capability and Defence Research, in Australia’s American Alliance (MUP 2016);  and, with Paul Dibb, Australia’s Management of Strategic Risk in the New Era (ASPI, Strategic Insight Number 123, November 2017).