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In this episode of the Defence Connect podcast, senior analyst Steve Kuper is joined\xa0by Sam Roggeveen,\xa0director\xa0of the Lowy Institute\u2019s International Security\xa0Program,\xa0to\xa0discuss\xa0the Echidna Strategy in the context of great power competition.\xa0

The pair begin the podcast discussing Roggeveen\u2019s career working across Australia\u2019s defence and foreign policy apparatus, including with the Office of National Assessments, Defence Intelligence Organisation, and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs.\xa0

The pair then discuss the politics of Roggeveen\u2019s first book \u2013\xa0Our Very Own Brexit: Australia\u2019s Hollow Politics and Where it Could Lead Us\xa0\u2013 and the implications domestic political polarisation and collapsing support for the major parties will have on Australia\u2019s future position and security in the Indo-Pacific.

The pair then discuss the historic basis of Australia\u2019s defence policy and doctrine, beginning with the Forward Defence doctrine, then moving through the Defence of\xa0Australia-era\xa0to the current\xa0incarnation,\xa0as identified through the Defence Strategic\xa0Review,\xa0and the implications of major decisions like the AUKUS submarines.

Finally, the pair discuss Roggeveen\u2019s latest book,\xa0The Echidna Strategy: Australia\u2019s Search for Power and Peace, the basis for its central thesis, the implications for Australia\u2019s defence posture and force structure as the nation seeks power and peace in the era of great power competition.

Enjoy the podcast
The Defence Connect team