Australian National Security

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Recommended: Definition of national security over personal privacy

Definitions of “national security” are contentious due their subjective nature. This report will briefly explain traditional definitions of “national security” before providing a definition specific to Australia. This definition will then be used to identify three crucial challenges to Australia’s national security posture.

The traditional definition of “national security” is militaristic and focuses on political independence and territorial integrity (Baldwin, 1997, p9), however this definition is often built upon and expanded to include whatever values are deemed important by the definition’s author, whether that is an individual, a government department or an entire state. Values that might be added to a definition of “nation security” include energy …show more content…

It has been used as a by radical groups to spread Islamist-inspired terrorism, other state actors such as Russia to manipulate the Australian public, and cyber criminals wanting to attack Australian banks and economic institutions. Cyber threats are perhaps the largest challenge to Australia’s national security posture as they threaten the security of individuals and the state itself, economically and politically, thus Australia’s national security as a whole.

#2: Power realignment in Asia.
The future of Australia is heavily tied up in the future of Asia, which is currently undergoing massive upheaval with the rise of China (O’Neil, 2012, p23). Many of consequences of this shift are still unknown and as the United States turns away from international matters and towards its own domestic ones, Australia may be left to face those consequences alone. Militarily, Australia has little chance of resisting China if they choose to exert their influence to Australia’s detriment- whether that is economic, political or ideological influence.

#3: Nuclear

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