Australia’s Defence Strategy
Evaluating alternatives for a contested Asia

By Adam Lockyer

Published by Melbourne University Publishing
RRP $59.99 in paperback * ISBN 9780522869316

How would we know a good defence strategy if we saw one? This is one of the first questions Adam Lockyer poses in his book, having first acknowledged that there is no shortage of defence strategy suggestions across the range of Australian defence scholarship.

As he writes, the central aim of his book is to take our knowledge of strategy that final mile and construct a framework that can ‘test’ proposed defence strategies and identify their respective strengths and weakness.

By doing so, this book breaks new theoretical ground and makes an important contribution to our understanding of strategy in general and defence strategy in particular. Lockyer then applies this analytical tool to the leading arguments in Australia’s defence debate and finds that there is still substantial work to be done.

He writes compellingly of his understanding of ‘measures short of war’ that nations use to expand their spheres of influence, stopping short of anything that would prompt a military response.

Lockyer concludes by proposing a new Australian defence strategy for a contested Asia that would pass the test for a ‘good’ defence strategy.

The result is essential reading for anyone interested in strategy or the future of Australian defence policy.