The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia (UniSA) are joining leading universities from the US and the UK for a research collaboration that will support the AUKUS strategic alliance.
The universities in the Digital Disruption in Defence Research Consortium will coordinate research to better understand the implications of digital disruption for defence and help shape policies and strategies that benefit the nations in AUKUS.
The consortium seeks to share findings with ally nations and collaborate on future research, with interested academic bodies in all relevant areas, including cyber operations, supply chain, and other data developments crucial to the future of military success.
Initial research areas will include mapping out a model of cyber influence, global custody of assets and platforms, resilience by design, and the future of decision-making in defence.
Matt Opie, director of defence and space at UniSA, said South Australia is home to the nation’s premier naval ship and submarine activities, positioning it well to play a key role in supporting the AUKUS strategic alliance.
“It’s fitting that UniSA is part of this global defence consortium, sharing our research and helping to shape defence policy,” Opie said.
The Digital Disruption in Defence Research Consortium is being led by representatives from:
- Defence Data Research Centre – Universities of Exeter, Liverpool, and Surrey
- Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), University of Maryland College Park
- Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Defence and Security Institute, University of Adelaide
- Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, Stanford University
- Hoover Institution, Stanford University
- University of South Australia
Professor Michael Webb, director of the Defence and Security Institute at the University of Adelaide, said his university has been working closely with the UK’s Defence Data Research Centre and the University of Exeter to establish the new collaborative research program in high-priority, AUKUS-aligned domains.
“This collaboration with partners in the UK and US will deliver substantial leverage to research programs in each jurisdiction that are already very strong.”
