Professor Rory Medcalf AM FAIIA is Head of the National Security College (NSC) at the Australian National University. He has led the College’s expansion from education, training and research into policy advice, futures analysis, public outreach, parliamentary briefing and international engagement, making the institution a key platform in the Australian policy landscape.
His professional background spans diplomacy, intelligence analysis, think tanks, academia and journalism. In government, he worked as a senior strategic analyst with Canberra’s peak intelligence assessment agency. He was an Australian diplomat, with wide experience including a posting to New Delhi, a secondment to the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, truce monitoring after the conflict in Bougainville and policy development on Asian security institutions. He has contributed to three landmark international reports on nuclear arms control.
Professor Medcalf is recognized as a thought leader internationally for his work on the Indo- Pacific concept, as articulated in his book “Contest for the Indo-Pacific” (released internationally as Indo-Pacific Empire and translated into Japanese and Chinese). He is a member of the Board of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, the ASEAN Regional Forum Register of Experts and Eminent Persons, and the Scientific Advisory Council of the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.
In 2022 he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for service to tertiary education and international relations. He has received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for services to Australia-Japan relations. In 2023 he was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (FAIIA) for his contribution to the understanding of the Indo- Pacific. His earlier career in journalism won a commendation in the Walkleys, Australia’s leading media awards.