On 15 February, ASPI USA’s Director Adam Leslie and ASPI’s Director of Cyber, Technology and Security Dr. Alex Caples had the pleasure of hosting a variety of American, Australian, and British stakeholders from government, defense, NGOs, industry, and academia for a roundtable discussion at the ASPI USA office.

The purpose of the event was to consider perspectives on the challenges and opportunities across AUKUS Pillar 2, innovation collaboration, critical technologies, and workforce development in order to refine the debate and inform recommendations to policymakers across the Trilateral.

The roundtable solicited a candid conversation on where AUKUS partners are falling behind in the strategic competition with China, what a practical Pillar 2 end state looks like, and how government can include private industry to achieve common goals relevant to deterrence, among other topics.

Following the roundtable, discussions between attendees continued with the group meeting a variety of stakeholders at ASPI USA’s monthly mixer, Policy in the Pub.