Net Assessments for Australia

Established in 2023 in the Australian Department of Defence, netassessments will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future ofthe Australian Defence Force, disciplining long-term capability decisions to aseries of key scenarios of concern. With Australia’s security requirements ranging across many more domains —and dependent on careful analysis of trends and networks beyond its shores— four additional Directorates of Net Assessment should be established, inthe Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of HomeAffairs, Treasury, and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Net assessments will help Ministers better understand key strategicproblems as well as potential confl ict scenarios and outcomes, assistingthem to make effective decisions to improve Australia’s competitive positionand prepare the nation for any confl ict in its region.