Security & Defence PLuS deepens the PLuS Alliance partnership, with a mandate to advance research, education, and policy to support statecraft in the spirit of the AUKUS trilateral agreement.
On Thursday 22 October, we brought this mission to life, gathering scholars, senior practitioners, and policymakers from across the AUKUS countries at the Arizona State University (ASU) Barrett & O’Connor Center in Washington D.C. for a day of simulation and dialogue exploring the complex dynamics of deterrence and regional security.
The morning featured a role-playing crisis simulation, or ‘war-game,’ designed and facilitated by academics from ASU, King’s College London, and the University of New South Wales (UNSW). The academics are collaborating on a project funded by the Security & Defence PLuS Seed Grant Scheme.
The scheme is designed to support the development or expansion of research collaborations across our three partner universities. Each project advances a shared objective: to develop practical, policy-relevant solutions to pressing security and defence needs, including but not limited to AUKUS priorities.
Building upon the success of their project in year one (learn more in this video), the academics received a second year of funding to further explore deterrence dynamics through simulation. The team used this session to pilot the simulation and refine it for future exercises.
Fourteen participants, representing fictionalised Indo-Pacific countries (with state names inspired by Terry Pratchett’s Discworld), immersed themselves in a high-stakes scenario set in the summer of 2030, when political tensions had escalated beyond present-day realities.
The simulation drew on the extraordinary expertise of a retired three-star U.S. Air Force general; several former State Department leaders with extensive experience in arms control, diplomacy, and strategic policy; a former Ambassador with authority on international justice and security; as well as globally-recognised academics and advisers in defence and national security.
The simulation unfolded over two turns, designed to develop a nuanced understanding of coalition dynamics when states are faced with conflicting priorities and pressures in a situation demanding they balance deterrence, compellence, and the potential use of force.
The intellectual energy of the morning carried into the afternoon, when additional guests from government, defence and academia joined to reflect on the morning’s insights and explore broader themes of strategic competition and trilateral cooperation.
Professor Shitij Kapur, President and Vice-Chancellor of King’s College London, provided remarks on the vital role of academic collaboration in shaping national security and informing policy. He emphasised that university research, development, and innovation are a national asset, pointing to citation-based country rankings to show their critical role in shaping influence in a new era of global competition. He also praised the three PLuS universities for leading the way in online education innovation.
A panel discussion chaired by Professor Wyn Bowen followed, examining the latest defence and security reviews across the three AUKUS nations. The panelists, Professor John Bew (King’s College London), Professor Nadya T. Bliss (ASU), and Brigadier (Ret.) Dr Ian Langford (UNSW/Security & Defence PLuS), discussed how evolving strategic realities are reshaping priorities, testing frameworks, and influencing trilateral and bilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
We thank the simulation participants for their enthusiastic engagement and thoughtful feedback, and all guests for their time and support.