Building a defence force: Defence force structure planning and acquisition

This graduate course explores how nation states build, plan and acquire their defence forces and how the force structures reflect national strategy. The course explores issues such as the responsibilities of government for defence, how to measure defence capability, the evolution of defence technology, debates over self-sufficiency and the relationship between national strategy and defence industry. It examines the difficulties inherent in defence force structure planning and acquisition, from the matching of hardware to strategy through to project management challenges. The course is primarily focused on countries in the Asia-Pacific, with a particular emphasis on Australian policy choices. There will be many case studies to illustrate the overarching themes being explored.