ABSTRACT. Australia released the newest edition of its Defense White Paper, describing Canberra’s current and emerging national security priorities, on February 25, 2016. This continues a tradition of issuing defense white papers since 1976. This work will examine and analyze the contents of this document as well as previous Australian defense white papers, scholarly literature, and political statements assessing their geopolitical significance. It will also examine public input into Australian defense white papers and the emerging role of social media in this public involvement. It concludes by evaluating whether Australia has the political will and economic resources necessary to fulfill its geopolitical and national security aspirations. pp. 17–67

Keywords: geopolitics; Australia; defense; security; white paper

How to cite: Chapman, Bert (2017), “Geopolitics of the 2016 Australian Defense White Paper and Its Predecessors,” Geopolitics, History, and International Relations 9(1): 17–67.

Received 7 March 2016 • Received in revised form 20 April 2016
Accepted 21 April 2016 • Available online 15 May 2016

doi:10.22381/GHIR9120172