This report assesses Antarctica's importance to Australian security, China’s hybrid Antarctic activity, and the need for Australia to develop a balancing strategy capable of bolstering the Antarctic Treaty and ‘pushing back’ against growing Chinese power in Antarctica.

This report describes current security and environmental policy challenges related to Antarctica and proposes options for Australia and the United States to address them. It assesses the current and potential future actions of strategic competitors like China and Russia, and proposes policy responses.

The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) provides Australia with a peaceful, non-militarised south. This report asserts that Australia should front load its support for the ATS, increasing both the substance and profile of our Antarctic activities.

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 paper examines Antarctica today including recent Chinese, Indian and Russian activities in the East Antarctic region that Australia asserts sovereignty over. It also focuses on Australia’s national interests, current air operations and development intentions.