Reshaping Australian Strategy: Meeting the Challenge of the 21st Century Authoritarian Powers

Dr. Andrew Carr spoke recently to the virtual RAAF Airpower Conference on the Indo-Pacific Region. Originally, the conference was to be held in March 2020, but was postponed due to COVID-19.

But the RAAF’s Airpower Development Centre has moved ahead with a virtual conference, consisting of the core presentations which would have been given in person.

In his presentation, Andrew Carr highlighted the changes in Australia’ strategic environment and ways shaping a new approach might be crafted. His approach was public around a creative leveraging of the Boyd’s OODA loop to highlight how Australia might navigate the way ahead.

He concluded with the following:

Over the last two decades have surprised us by seizing the initiative and pushing change.

It is time for us to push back. To seek to push their mental models out of alignment, while updating ours faster and better than they can hope to manage.

While there are difficult questions of money and equipment, the most important element is the strategic.

Our ability to think afresh about the world before us and how we can shape it to our interest. 

His presentation can be heard below.

And a PDF version of his presentation is avaiable as well.