The Royal United Services Institute of New South Wales
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Activities
Key dates for your diary are shown below. Lectures are open to Members, their Guests and Visitors.
We have a regular programme of monthly lunchtime-lectures covering either current or historical Defence and Security issues. We also occasionally arrange multi-speaker seminars and group visits to sites of Defence interest. (CLICK HERE to review some of our previous presentations.) Each August, Members enjoy our formal Annual Dinner and a convivial lunch is usually held prior to Christmas.
For Lunchtime-Lecture Attendees: Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW Lectures are usually provided on the last Tuesday of the month. All Lunchtime Lectures are held in the Anzac Memorial Auditorium, Hyde Park South, Liverpool Street, Sydney.
The Memorial is a short walk from Museum Railway Station (CLICK HERE for instructions on how to get to the institute).
The lectures run from 1300 'till 1400. An entry charge of $0 for Members, $15 for Non-Members applies.
For any enquiries, please contact the Office Manager on 8262-2922.
For MONTHLY LECTURES a sandwich lunch may be pre-ordered and purchased for $8.00 (sandwich lunch must be booked by 1700 on the Friday preceding the lecture, please use button below). Sandwiches will be avaliable during our social Hour beginning at 12 noon, during which tea and coffee are also available
Pre-booking and payment including your sandwich lunch for MONTHLY LECTURES is worthwhile as seating is sometimes limited. Please use the button below by 0900 on the day of the lecture, however, do note that lunch orders cannot be made after 1700 on the Friday before the event.
__________________________________ Tuesday 28 March 2023 (Start Time: 1300), Anzac Memorial Auditorium
Hyde Park South, Sydney
MONTHLY LECTURE
Speaker: Emeritus Professor David Horner AM Official Historian and Professor of Australian Defence
History, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs - ANU
Subject: Command Relationships - Australia's War Leadership From Gallipoli to Iraq
Emeritus Professor David Horner AM
David Horner joined the Australian Army after completing school in 1966. On graduating from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1969, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. In 1971, he served an eight-month tour in Vietnam as a platoon commander in the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. He was a visiting fellow with the Department of History at the Australian Defence Force Academy from 1985 to 1988, and a member of the directing staff at the Joint Services Staff College in 1988 to 1990. He retired from the full-time army in 1991 on gaining a position with the Australian National University (ANU) and transferred to the Australian Army Reserve, with which he served for more than a decade. He was the inaugural commanding officer of the Land Warfare Studies Centre (1998–2002), and retired with the rank of colonel.
Colonel Horner has a Diploma of Military Studies from Duntroon, a Master of Arts (Honours) from the University of New South Wales, and graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy from the ANU in 1980. His doctoral thesis, supervised by Robert O'Neill and completed while a serving major in the army, concerned Australian and Allied strategy in the Pacific War and formed the basis for his second book, High Command: Australia and Allied Strategy, 1939–1945 (1982).
Dr Horner has written or edited 32 books and more than 75 journal articles, reports and chapters in books. In 2009, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his "service to higher education in the area of Australian military history and heritage as a researcher, author and academic". David Horner AM retired from full-time academia in 2014, and was appointed an emeritus professor at the ANU. He was made a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 2015.
Source: Wikipaedia
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Tuesday 18 April 2023 (Start Time: 1300), Anzac Memorial Auditorium
Hyde Park South, Sydney
MONTHLY LECTURE
Speaker: Captain Christopher Skinner RAN (Ret'd)
Subject: AUKUS - a tripartite foundation for Indo-Pacific security
Captain Christopher Skinner RAN (Ret'd)
Captain Christopher Skinner RAN (Ret'd) had 30 years service as Weapons and Electrical Engineering Officer (WEEO) in the Royal Australian Navy.
He served on six surface warships including all three DDG guided missile destroyers:
HMAS HOBART 3rd Vietnam deployment
HMAS PERTH digital upgrade in USA
HMAS BRISBANE north-west Indian Ocean
Seconded USN for FFG-7 lead ship T&E
Initial ANZAC Frigate Project Director.
Chris is a Member ANI, USNI, Navy League, SIA,
UNSW alumnus, IEEE, ACM, Engineers Australia.
He is currently Compiling a Nuclear Propulsion Roadmap for Australia.
AUKUS is a pivotal milestone in Australia's step up to 21st century realities of
national and regional security. AUKUS is the culmination of over a decade of
agonising over how best to expand our maritime deterrence capability and
reflects the earnest efforts of many people and groups. This talk will explain what AUKUS
comprises as a pragmatic plan that addresses all past concerns, but now has new challenges
especially building a skilled workforce as well as an increase in percentage GDP spent on Defence.
The talk will also direct attention to the expanding reference list on nuclear matters that AUKUS
has now unlocked.
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Friday 19 May 2023 (08:15 to 17:15), NSW Parliament House Theatrette
Macquarie Street, Sydney
4th INTERNATIONAL DIALIGUE
Speakers to include: A/Prof Sarah Teo - Nanyang Technical University, Singapore;
Prof Anne-Marie Brady, Canterbury University, NZ; HE the Ambassador of Japan to Australia;
HE The High Commissioner of India to Australia, The Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP, Assistant
Minister for Defence.
Subject: Managing Strategic Tensions in the Indo - Pacific Region Members $45.00 / Non-Members $65.00 / serving ADF members in uniform: Free MUST BOOK BOOKING IS REQUIRED for ALL ATTENDANCE by 5 May 2023 unless all places are taken prior to closure date.
Morning Tea, Afternoon Tea and Lunch provided.
More details will follow ...
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Tuesday 27 June 2023 (Start Time: 1300), Anzac Memorial Auditorium
Hyde Park South, Sydney
MONTHLY LECTURE
Speaker: Group Captain Steven Henry
Subject: Defence Space Command - An introduction
Group Captain Steven Henry
Group Captain Steven Henry has served in the Royal Australian Air Force for 28 years. He is currently Commanding Officer - Surveillance and Control Training Unit at RAAF Williamtown.
Previously he was Deputy Director - Surveillance of Space at Canberra where he managed projects and policy relating to Australia's Space Domain Awareness capabilities.
Group Captain Henry served on exchange with the US Department of Defence in the 'Policy Branch'. Responsible to the Director of the Principal Dept of Defence Space Advisor Staff for strategic messaging, policy and coordination relating to the integration of various agencies across the US space enterprise. At one time responsible for multinational crew operating Space Based Infra-Red System (SBIRS) satellites and mission reporting system.
2IC of No 3 Control and Reporting Unit. RAAF Williamtown.
HQJOC AOC - Staff Officer 2 (Space), Bungendore, New South Wales where he established the Joint Space Operations Cell (now the Australian Space Operations Centre) of the Air and Space Operations Centre. Responsible for all manner of space support to operations, from satellite vulnerability reporting to technical advice on services available and threats from space based systems.
HQ 41WG - Staff Officer 2 (Plans), RAAF Williamtown. Where he was responsible for exercise and operations plans for Headquarters 41 Wing.
DSTG - OPIR Operations Analyst, Adelaide South Australia where he was responsible for analysing the utility of Overhead Persistent Infra-Red (OPIR) systems in support of Australian operational requirements.
HQAC AOC - Surveillance Officer, RAAF Glenbrook, New South Wales where he was responsible for operational tasking of RAAF surveillance assets.
114MCRU - Fighter Controller114MCRU - Fighter Controller, RAAF Tindal, Northern Territory where he was Fighter controller and Unit Defence Officer
Group Captain Henry has a Bachelor's Degree in Information Systems and Geography and a Masters in Strategy and Defence Studies through Australian National University.
Please use the button to your left to check out videos of the Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW's past presentations.
All Institute Educational Events attract
Continuing Professional Education Credits
Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW Lectures: One hour credit;
Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW Half Day Seminars: Four hours credit;
Institute for Defence and Security Studies NSW All Day Seminars: Six hours credit.
To obtain a certificate for an educational event you attended please contact our office.
Emeritus Professor David Horner AM
Captain Christopher Skinner RAN (Ret'd)
Group Captain Steven Henry
