The Future of the Indo-Pacific: Insight from the US and Australian Militaries

How do the U.S. and Australian militaries perceive the future of security in the Indo-Pacific? With the intensity of “strategic competition” between the United States and the People’s Republic of China sharpening, both countries are developing their military capabilities for a potential clash and working toward developing international support for their efforts. Even while leaders in both Beijing and Washington are seeking to foster greater dialogue to reduce tensions, global military posturing continues apace.

Join Perry World House, in collaboration with the US Army War College’s Eisenhower Series College Program, for a wide-ranging conversation about the critical global importance of the Indo-Pacific region. Members of the Eisenhower Program will discuss strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, the role of allies and partners in this competition, and the potential economic costs of a conflict over Taiwan. Hear from military practitioners from the United States and Australian Armies about their perspectives on the future of security in the region.

Panelists

Colonel Tony Bennett is currently an International Fellow at the US Army War College. He attended the Royal Military College, Duntroon, and was assigned to the Royal Australian Regiment upon graduation. As an Infantry officer, Colonel Bennett has enjoyed a wide variety of postings and has commanded at every level, both domestically and overseas. Colonel Bennett’s experience includes work with the Australian Army Reserve, Career Management, operational, strategic level headquarters, and whole-of-government level taskforces. He has deployed operationally to Timor Leste, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and has enjoyed numerous training opportunities in Canada, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Southwest Pacific. Colonel Bennett is a graduate of the Australian Command and Staff College.

Lt. Colonel Joseph A. England is an Army intelligence officer from Texas with over 20 years of combined service on Active Duty and in the Army Reserve. He has held strategic-level intelligence assignments including overseas service in Japan, Korea, and Iraq. As a civilian, he has worked in multiple sectors, including at a “Big 4” strategy consulting firm and most recently, as the national vice president of sales for a digital health company helping people manage and prevent chronic health conditions.

Lt. Colonel Rachel Sullivan is a Civil Affairs Officer with 22 years of military service. She has spent much of her career overseas on assignments in Turkey and Korea, and on multiple deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo. She most recently served as the commander of a Civil Affairs Task Force with teams deployed across the Pacific Island Countries. She previously served as lead Civil-Military Operations Planner at NATO Land Command and in the Republic of Korea.

Moderator

Avery Goldstein is the David M. Knott Professor of Global Politics and International Relations in the Political Science Department, Inaugural Director of the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, and Associate Director of the Christopher H. Browne Center for International Politics at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on international relations, security studies, and Chinese politics. He is the author of Rising to the Challenge: China’s Grand Strategy and International Security (Stanford University Press, 2005), Deterrence and Security in the 21st Century: China, Britain, France and the Enduring Legacy of the Nuclear Revolution (Stanford University Press, 2000), and From Bandwagon to Balance of Power Politics: Structural Constraints and Politics in China, 1949-1978 (Stanford University Press, 1991). Among his other publications are articles in the journals International Security, International Organization, Journal of Strategic Studies, Security Studies, China Quarterly, Asian Survey, Comparative Politics, Orbis, and Polity as well as chapters in a variety of edited volumes. Goldstein is also a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.