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Professor Rory Medcalf AM has been Head of the National Security College at the Australian National University since 2015. He has led the expansion of the College into policy impact, futures analysis, parliamentary engagement, international dialogue and capacity-building, in addition to its core activities in executive development, academic education and research. With more than thirty years of experience spanning diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, academia and journalism, Professor Medcalf previously served as founding Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute. In Australian Government service, he worked as a senior strategic analyst with the Office of National Assessments and as a diplomat with postings including New Delhi, a secondment to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and truce monitoring in Bougainville. He contributed to landmark reports on nuclear arms control including the 1996 Canberra Commission, the 1999 Tokyo Forum and the 2009 International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. His journalism received commendation in the Walkley Awards.
Professor Medcalf has played a prominent role in developing Australia’s relations with India and convenes informal diplomatic dialogues with Indo-Pacific powers. He is recognised internationally for his work on the Indo-Pacific strategic concept, articulated in his 2020 book Contest for the Indo-Pacific (also published as Indo-Pacific Empire). He served on the expert panel for the Australian Government’s 2016 Defence White Paper and has led research projects on nuclear stability and Indo-Pacific strategy. In 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for services to international relations and tertiary education, received a commendation from the Japanese Foreign Minister, and in 2023 was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs. He is a member of the editorial board of the Australian Journal of International Affairs and holds additional roles including Adjunct Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.
ANU's National Security College survey reveals rising anxieties among Australians over imminent security threats like AI attacks and economic crises, with widespread perceptions of underpreparedness.
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