Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impa ....Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impact that China is having on the outlook of others in the region, will improve the odds for sensible decisions and choices. It may also be the key to avoiding choices that we do not wish to make.Read moreRead less
Australian public opinion towards foreign and defence policy since 1960: patterns, explanations, policies. The issues of foreign affairs and national security have become increasingly important to Australians in the wake of the Bali bombing, the invasion of Iraq, and the 'War on Terror.' However there are a number of unknowns in research of this kind. What are the public's key concerns? How have our current attitudes been shaped and how much have our opinions changed in recent years? This projec ....Australian public opinion towards foreign and defence policy since 1960: patterns, explanations, policies. The issues of foreign affairs and national security have become increasingly important to Australians in the wake of the Bali bombing, the invasion of Iraq, and the 'War on Terror.' However there are a number of unknowns in research of this kind. What are the public's key concerns? How have our current attitudes been shaped and how much have our opinions changed in recent years? This project would provide crucial insights into the topic, identifying those countries seen as the principal threats to Australia, examining how and why people feel that way, and most importantly, indicating what governments can do to better inform and shape public opinion in foreign affairs and defence-related matters.Read moreRead less
Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically app ....Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically appropriate level of force protection for future humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, in addition to motivating the more efficient use of ADF resources. Finally, the project will further Australia's reputation as the source of high quality innovative research in applied philosophy, and especially military ethics.Read moreRead less
After the Violence: Truth, Reconciliation and National Integration in Timor-Leste. In the aftermath of the Australian military-led intervention in 1999 and through the transition to nationhood in 2002, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) has represented one of the key institutional attempts at ensuring a stable transition to a peaceful society in Timor-Leste. The internal security of Timor-Leste is of significant interest for Australia, and this project wo ....After the Violence: Truth, Reconciliation and National Integration in Timor-Leste. In the aftermath of the Australian military-led intervention in 1999 and through the transition to nationhood in 2002, the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation in East Timor (CAVR) has represented one of the key institutional attempts at ensuring a stable transition to a peaceful society in Timor-Leste. The internal security of Timor-Leste is of significant interest for Australia, and this project would seek to understand if and how CAVR has succeeded in producing sustainable forms of social cohesion and integration. The project would also provide an understanding of truth and reconciliation processes that could be of value for application in future post-conflict societies.Read moreRead less
The Regionalisation of Peace Operations: Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Stable Peace. Through its deployments in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG and elsewhere, Australia has led the world in thinking about innovative ways of conducting peace operations. It is well-understood that peace operations in failed states can help to prevent terrorism by removing the conditions in which they prosper. To date, however, there has been no rigorous conceptually informed historical and contemporary resear ....The Regionalisation of Peace Operations: Legitimacy, Effectiveness and Stable Peace. Through its deployments in East Timor, the Solomon Islands, PNG and elsewhere, Australia has led the world in thinking about innovative ways of conducting peace operations. It is well-understood that peace operations in failed states can help to prevent terrorism by removing the conditions in which they prosper. To date, however, there has been no rigorous conceptually informed historical and contemporary research on precisely which types of actors are most effective. This project will add significantly to global understandings of peace operations and make an important contribution to Australian policy decisions about how best to maximise effectiveness. Read moreRead less
Resource-aware Signal Processing and Control Algorithms for Networked Sensor Systems. Networked sensing and control is an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring wildlife habitats to safety management of large civil structures. This project will lead to sustainable engineering solutions for these applications and provide key fundamental performance limits. Beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: ....Resource-aware Signal Processing and Control Algorithms for Networked Sensor Systems. Networked sensing and control is an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring wildlife habitats to safety management of large civil structures. This project will lead to sustainable engineering solutions for these applications and provide key fundamental performance limits. Beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: (i) enhancement of Australia's reputation for innovative Engineering research through quality publications and international collaborations; and (ii) improvement of the research and development capability in the ICT sector through rigorous training of postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows.Read moreRead less
Defence and Security Risk Assessment using Agent Based Distillations. Today's society continues to be occupied with the idea of risk. The recent events of September 11th, the Bali bombing, SARS, the bush fires in Canberra, and the Tsunami are examples of human-made and natural disasters. These events had dramatic consequences on the social, economic, and political environment and numerous industries. This project offers an innovative methodological paradigm for assessing risk through the transfe ....Defence and Security Risk Assessment using Agent Based Distillations. Today's society continues to be occupied with the idea of risk. The recent events of September 11th, the Bali bombing, SARS, the bush fires in Canberra, and the Tsunami are examples of human-made and natural disasters. These events had dramatic consequences on the social, economic, and political environment and numerous industries. This project offers an innovative methodological paradigm for assessing risk through the transfer of technologies drawn from defence simulations to the safety and security areas. The success of this project will mark a paradigm shift in the area of risk assessment and management.Read moreRead less
Stochastic Geometry for Multi-sensor Data Fusion System. The aim of this project is to develop efficient algorithms for tracking and sensor management in a multi-sensor multi-target environment. Finite random set theory provides a natural way of representing a random number of (random) object states, an issue that has been largely ignored in the tracking literature until recently. Although a satisfactory foundation for multiple object filtering has been provided by random set theory, in this ear ....Stochastic Geometry for Multi-sensor Data Fusion System. The aim of this project is to develop efficient algorithms for tracking and sensor management in a multi-sensor multi-target environment. Finite random set theory provides a natural way of representing a random number of (random) object states, an issue that has been largely ignored in the tracking literature until recently. Although a satisfactory foundation for multiple object filtering has been provided by random set theory, in this early stage no algorithm capable of tracking many targets has emerged from this framework. We are confident that efficient algorithms can be developed by exploiting the insights and mathematical tools of stochastic geometryRead moreRead less
Distributed Estimation and Control under Communication Constraints. Sensor networks will be an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring water quality to controlling complex defence systems. This project will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental limits of wireless sensor networks. Above and beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: (i) enhancement of Australia's reputation for innovative ....Distributed Estimation and Control under Communication Constraints. Sensor networks will be an important technology for Australia's future. Applications range from monitoring water quality to controlling complex defence systems. This project will lead to a better understanding of the fundamental limits of wireless sensor networks. Above and beyond the creation of new theory and algorithms, the national and community benefits will include: (i) enhancement of Australia's reputation for innovative Engineering research through quality publications and international collaborations; and (ii) improvement of the research and development capability in the information and communications technology sector through high level training of postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows in this important technology.Read moreRead less
A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical co ....A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical commitments. By assessing current military practices in light of these commitments this project enhances the military's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical fighters. The internationally important outcomes of this project will also enhance Australia's high standing in the area of applied ethics.Read moreRead less