Rate My Professor Richard Brabin-Smith

Richard Brabin-Smith is an Honorary Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre of the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. He holds a Bachelor of Science with honours in physics from the University of Nottingham and a PhD awarded for experiments in low temperature magnetism. Prior to his academic appointments, Dr Brabin-Smith had a distinguished 30-year career in the Australian Department of Defence, retiring in 2003. His senior roles included Deputy Secretary for Strategic Policy, Chief Defence Scientist, First Assistant Secretary for International Policy, First Assistant Secretary for Strategic Policy and Coordination, and First Assistant Secretary for Force Development and Analysis. He played key roles in the 1997 Defence Efficiency Review, the 1986 Dibb Review of Defence Capabilities, and a year-long secondment to the Pentagon in the early 1980s.

Since 2003, Brabin-Smith has served as a Visiting Fellow at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, advancing to Honorary Professor in January 2017. His research focuses on Australian defence policy, strategic risk management, mobilisation concepts in Australian defence policy since Vietnam, China’s rise as a security threat, nuclear risks in Asia, and capability development and defence research. In recognition of his contributions to defence science and technology, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2000 Queen’s Birthday Honours. Key publications include “The Concept of Mobilisation and Australian Defence Policy since Vietnam: Lessons and Cautions for Army in the post-DSR World” (2024, with Stephan Frühling and Graeme Dunk), “Australia’s management of strategic risk in the new era” (2017, with Paul Dibb), “Nuclear risk in Asia: how Australia should respond” (2017), “China’s rise poses growing threat” (2017, with Paul Dibb), “Capability development and defence research” (2016), “The heartland of Australia’s defence policies” (2005), and contributions to works such as “Developing ADF Force Structure and Posture” and “Australian Defence: Challenges for the New Government”.