Avoiding a space race to the bottom: Australia as a ‘middle space power’

In this episode of the National Security Podcast, Mission Specialist at the ANU Institute for Space Dr Cassandra Steer, CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia James Brown, and Visiting Fellow at ANU National Security College Katherine Mansted join Dayle Stanley to interrogate the opportunities and risks presented to Australia as a ‘middle space power’.

Space is a critical strategic domain for Australia’s civilian and military interests but is increasingly congested, contested, and competitive. Major powers are engaged in a destabilising space arms race – China, Russia, and the United States have rejected the strategic restraint that kept space a stable political and military domain. As a ‘middle space power’, Australia has the capacity to encourage responsible behaviour in space. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, ANU National Security College brings you a panel discussion between Dr Cassandra Steer, James Brown, Katherine Mansted, and Dayle Stanley that interrogates the opportunities and risks presented to Australia as a middle space power.

Dr Cassandra Steer FHEA is a Senior Lecturer at ANU College of Law and Mission Specialist at the ANU Institute for Space (InSpace) and the author of recent Policy Options Paper Australia as a Space Power: Combining Civil, Defence and Diplomatic Efforts.

James Brown is the CEO of the Space Industry Association of Australia, Australia’s peak body for the space sector. He is currently a non-resident fellow at the United States Studies Centre, Chairman of Veteran Sports Australia, and a strategic adviser to the University of Technology Sydney.

Katherine Mansted is a Senior Adviser at the National Security College and non-resident fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Previously, she was a commercial solicitor with King & Wood Mallesons, a ministerial adviser to the federal government, and served as an Associate in the High Court of Australia.

Dayle Stanley is Director, Strategy and Engagement at the National Security College Futures Hub at The Australian National University.

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