Quentin Hanich recently collaborated with Prof. Joanne Wallis and Michael Rose to study Australian defence diplomacy in the Pacific. They found that Australia should continue to emphasise partnership and mutual benefit and use its defence diplomacy to emphasise multilateral security efforts that bolster regional institutions and meet Pacific priorities.
“… Australia’s defence diplomacy should advance an approach that bolsters cooperation and capacity to respond to security challenges under the auspices of regional institutions such as the Pacific Islands Forum. Regional approaches would generate fewer domestic consequences, better spread responsibility, create a deeper pool of capacity, and potentially take the heat out of partner competition and militarisation…”
