Australia's Strategic and Defence Policy

• • A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.

Equivalent subjects

You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• MAQ-PICX921-Australia's Strategic and Defence Policy (No longer available)

Others

Admission to MPICT or MCPICT or PGDipPICT or GradDipCPICT or MPICTMIntSecSt or MCPICTMIntSecSt or MIntSecStud NCCW (pre-2020 units) PICT921, PICX921

Additional requirements

• Other requirements -

  Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.

This subject is previously known as PICX921 Australia's Strategic and Defence Policy

The rise of China and India to great power status, arms modernisation trends across the region and unresolved territorial disputes in the South China Sea are collectively producing an unprecedented period of uncertainty in Australian defence policymaking. Against this backdrop, Australia's major ally, the United States, is increasingly expecting its allies and partners to play a more active role in the region. Consequently, the debate over Australia's strategic and defence policy choices has intensified in recent years. This unit investigates the current debates in Australia’s strategic and defence policy. Students will not only explore how external developments are shaping defence policy, but also look internally into the process of how Australian defence policymaking is created. In particular, this unit will examine the bureaucratic politics within the Department of Defence and between the three Services (Navy, Army and Air Force) when shaping defence policy.

• Participatory task (10%)
• Opinion piece (20%)
• Major Essay (50%)
• Quiz (20%)