Date: Wednesday 6 June 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek (Optional drinks in bar beforehand - guests will be in Mess from 5pm)
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Topic: Dr Stephen Coleman, Program Director, Military Ethics, UNSW@ADFA to speak on: Discrimination and Non-Lethal Weapons:
A Problem for the Future Military'

Dr. Stephen Coleman is Senior Lec­turer in Ethics and Lead­ership and Vincent Fairfax Foundation Fellow in the School of Human­i­ties and Social Sci­ences, UNSW@ADFA.There are many situations where it would military personnel might want to have access to Non-Lethal Weapons (NLW) where the distinction between combatants and non-combatants tends to be blurred. However there are also some obvious problems with the use of such weapons, including the fact that some NLW might violate existing conventions on Chemical or Biological Weapons. This presentation examines the likely benefits and harms of the use of NLW by military personnel, as well as examining the issues of discrimination that may arise from the use of such weapons. Dr Coleman is the author of two books, including Military Ethics: An Introduction with Case Studies to be published by Oxford University Press in July 2012, and more than twenty papers in academic journals and edited collections on a diverse range of topics. dership at the United States Naval Academy. At UNSW@ADFA he teaches courses in military ethics and practical ethics at both undergraduate and post-graduate level and is also the convenor of the Human Research Ethics Advisory Panel. Click here to go to the tedX Website to see Dr Coleman in action on this topic.

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Date: Wednesday 20 June 2012
Place: R1 Theatrette, Russell Offices
Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Topic: Ashley Ekins, AWM, will speak on 'Lessons from a long war: the Australian Army in Vietnam'

The Vietnam War was Australia's longest and most divisive war. Although the war ended forty years ago, it confronted political leaders, military strategists, commanders and soldiers in the field with issues and dilemmas that are still relevant today. Many questions remain about the strategy adopted in Vietnam, the operational approaches and tactics employed in the counter-insurgency war, and the overall achievement of the Australian Army's commitment. Broader debate over the war continues to challenge the reality of the outcome through such questions as: Why did the US and its allies lose in Vietnam? Was there any alternative strategy that might have made the war winnable? What were the constraints on achieving victory in a limited war? Drawing on the research and findings of his recently published official history volume, Fighting to the Finish, Ashley Ekins will explore these and related issues.

Ashley Ekins (photo courtesy AWM) is Head of the Military History Section at the Australian War Memorial. A graduate of the University of Adelaide, he specialises in the history of the First World War and the Vietnam War. Through his contribution to the nine-volume Official History of Australia’s Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975, Ashley has researched and written extensively on Australian ground operations in Vietnam. He co-authored, with his late colleague, Dr Ian McNeill, volume eight in the series, On the Offensive: the Australian Army in the Vietnam War, January 1967–June 1968 (published in 2003). His sequel volume and the final volume in the official history series, Fighting to the Finish: The Australian Army and the Vietnam War, 1968-1975, was released in February 2012.

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Date: Wednesday 4 July 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek (Optional drinks in bar beforehand - guests will be in Mess from 1700)
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Topic: Adjunct Professor Clive Williams MG, The Australian Centre for Military Law and Security, ANU will speak on: 'The security situation in Syria: recent history and future prospects'

This presentation looks at Syria under the leadership of the Assad dynasty, the main players, the causes and extent of the conflict since March 2011, the interests of external parties - and considers likely strategic outcomes. Clive Williams has a career background as an officer in the Australian Intelligence Corps, which included a number of overseas intelligence appointments. After leaving the Army in 1981, he pursued a civilian career in Defence Intelligence, working mainly on transnational issues. He was a Chevening scholar at the War Studies Department, King's College, London, in 1987. He has worked and lectured internationally on security-related issues since 1980, and started running terrorism courses at the ANU in 1996. He left Defence in 2002, and has since run national security-related Masters course electives at the ANU and a number of Australian and overseas universities. Over the past 10 years he has worked in many overseas countries including Afghanistan and the UAE. He became an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Policing, Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism (PICT) at Macquarie University in 2006. He was a Visiting Professor at the School of Human and Social Sciences (HASS) of the University of NSW at ADFA during 2006-2008. He became a Visiting Professor at The Australian Centre for Military Law and Security, ANU, in February 2012.

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Date: Wednesday 18 July 2012
Place: R1 Theatrette, Russell Offices
Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Topic: 'To be announced soon'

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Date: Wednesday 1 August 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek (Optional drinks in bar beforehand - guests will be in Mess from 1700)
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Topic: HE Mr Abdul Malik Abdullah, The Pakistani High Commissioner will speak on: 'Pakistan's Perception on the War on Terror'

HE Mr. Abdul Abdullah Holds Bachelor's Degree in Commerce and a Post Graduate diploma in Business Administration. He joined the Foreign Service of Pakistan in April 1980. He has served at the Headquarters as Section Officer (1982) and Director (1989-1992 & 2000-2002), and has held various diplomatic assignments in Pakistan Missions abroad (Tokyo (1984-1989), Washington (1992-1995) and Tokyo (1995-2000)). He has served as Consul General of Pakistan in Frankfurt, Germany from 2002-2005, and as Ambassador of Pakistan to Senegal (2005-2008). He has also served as Additional Secretary for Foreign and Social Sector Affairs at the Prime Minister's Secretariat from July 2008 to June 2011.

(Photo and BIO Courtesy HC of Pakistan)

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Date: Wednesday 15 August 2012
Place: R1 Theatrette, Russell Offices
Time: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Topic: Mr Steve Meekin, AM, Deputy Secretary Intelligence and Security will speak on: 'Intelligence & Security Challenges'

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Date: Wednesday 29 August 2012
Place: ADC Mess, Weston Creek
Time: 6:30 pm for 7:00 pm until 10:00pm
What: 'Annual Dinner of the USI of ACT (with speaker)'

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Date: Wednesday 29 August 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek
Time: 6:00 pm
What: 'Annual General Meeting of the USI of ACT'

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Date: Wednesday 3 October 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00pm
What: Mr Michael Ward, MD Raytheon Australia, will speak on a 'Topic to be announced'

Michael Ward is Managing Director of Raytheon Australia, responsible for the executive management of Raytheon operations in Australia and New Zealand. Raytheon Australia provides a broad range of engineering and project management services in the areas of naval, aerospace, land systems and base operations to the ADF. Before assuming his current position, Michael served as Raytheon Australia's General Manager, Strategy and Business Development, where he was responsible for business growth and operational efficiency. Before joining Raytheon, Michael was employed as a Defence Adviser to the Parliament of Australia. Whilst at Raytheon, Michael has been employed in a range of management roles within Raytheon Australia. He is a graduate of the University of New South Wales and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. He studied for a bachelor's degree in information technology before completing a master's degree in business administration. Michael has also undertaken graduate training in aeronautical engineering, defence studies and training.

(Photo & BIO Courtesy Raytheon Australia)

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Date: Wednesday 7 Novenber 2012
Place: Spender Theatre, ADC, Weston Creek
Time: 6:00 pm to 7:00pm
What: HE US Ambassador to Australia, Mr Bleich to address USI and the ACT Defence Community

Jeffrey L. Bleich is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Australia. He was nominated by President Obama, and confirmed unanimously by the Senate on November 10, 2009. He presented his credentials on November 26, 2009, becoming the 24th American ambassador to the Commonwealth of Australia. Ambassador Bleich's tenure in Australia has been marked by a commitment to expanding Australia and the United States' broad alliance by promoting security, advancing free trade, promoting human rights, and expanding collaboration in education, space, energy, and technology. On the issue of security, Ambassador Bleich has led U.S. efforts to advance defense cooperation between the United States and Australia. These efforts include helping drive Senate ratification of the U.S.-Australia Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty, overseeing America's largest joint training exercise (Talisman Sabre) off the coast of Australia, promoting delivery of upgraded military assets to Australia Defense Forces including C-17s, F-18 Superhornets, and the MH60-Romeo, and helping to guide Australia's participation in the U.S. global force posture review, resulting in new Marine joint-training exercises in Darwin and airfield dispersals in the Northern Territory. Ambassador Bleich has worked closely with combined U.S. and Australian forces throughout the region, including traveling with the Chief of the Australian Defense Forces, General David Hurley, to support our troops in Afghanistan.

(Photo and BIO Courtesy of US Embassy)

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Date: Wednesday 26 November 2012
Place: ADC Mess, Weston Creek
Time: 6:00 pm
What: ''Christmas Drinks'

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ADVANCE NEWS FOR 2013 - Major International RUSI of Australia Seminar' - watch here for details

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New Members to the USI of the ACT

Mr Ben Giesbertz and Major Andrew Kirby

(New membership is not confirmed until applications have been endorsed by the Council)

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OTHER EVENTS - NON USI of the ACT

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National Security Lectures at the University of Canberra