This report examines some key ‘sliding-door’ moments that have shaped the trajectory of ANZUS in the Pacific Island region over seven decades, to reach the current confused state within the alliance regarding its aims in the Pacific Islands.

The recommendations in the report are designed to maximise the value and mitigate the downside risks of China engagement for Australia's Antarctic and broader national interests.

This report examines how Pacific island countries (PICs) and Indian Ocean island states (IO island states) are managing and prioritising their maritime security challenges. These islands, which the authors refer to as the ‘Indo-Pacific island states’, face an intricate offshore tapestry, with the report suggesting an increased level of maritime threats.

This paper argues that the approach to national security planning should now include key companies and their supply chains: it’s time to rethink Australia's national security approach in a more complex, dynamic and interconnected world. The corporate sector is now a key component of the country's deterrent posture against a range of threats.

This report arises from an Australia–France–India strategic dialogue held in New Delhi in January 2018. It builds on a French proposal introduced at that meeting. Australian researchers performed the risk mapping for the eastern Indian Ocean. French researchers will produce a risk assessment for the western Indian Ocean in 2020.