Crawford School of Public Policy

On this National Security Podcast, Head of National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf speaks with Major General Duncan Lewis, former Director-General of Security at ASIO, about securing Australia in an age of disruption.

Since 9/11, it has become clear to Australia’s leaders that developing a national security pedigree in the Australian Public Service was imperative to meeting the challenges of an age of deep strategic disruption. To open the National Security College’s 10th Anniversary Conversation Series, Professor Rory Medcalf talks with recently retired Major General Duncan Lewis, former Director-General of Security at the Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and National Security Adviser under the Rudd government, about the decision to create the National Security College. They also cover the daunting tasks of national security policymakers as Australia faces a grim strategic environment, and some valuable lessons from a lifetime of service in Australia’s national security community. Listen here

Major General Duncan Lewis AO DSC CSC is the recently retired Director-General of Security at ASIO and served as Australia’s National Security Adviser. In the Army, he was both the Special Air Service Regiment’s Commanding Officer and Special Operations Commander Australia, commanding the Australian Defence Force’s Special Operations Command.

Professor Rory Medcalf is Head of the National Security College at The Australian National University. His professional background involves more than two decades of experience across diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, and journalism.

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