The Political Economy of Australian Militarism: On the Emergent Military–Industrial–Academic Complex

Abstract Australia is undergoing a process of substantial militarization. This article argues that one of the key forces underpinning Australia’s militarization is an emergent military–industrial–academic complex (MIAC), comprised of increasingly close relationships between universities, defense, and defense industry. The connections between the three have rapidly intensified since 2016 due to changes in defense industry policy, pessimism regarding the strategic environment, the ongoing malaise of the neoliberal university, and the motivations of key individuals. This article demonstrates that each of the three groups is actively seeking closer relationships with the other, driven by a patchwork of competing economic and strategic motivations, and powered by ideals of innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. Each needs the other—for military advantage, for profits, and for survival. Australia’s emergent but rapidly expanding MIAC raises concerns about the pace, nature, and necessity of Australia’s militarization, the impact on the role of the university in society, and the hollowness of Australian strategic policy. Furthermore, it has substantial implications for strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific, Australia’s alliances, and the Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) partnership.