"Spoiler alert: China leads in 69 of those 74 technologies." That blunt sentence — from ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker (2022) — captures the scale of ambition that has driven the Australian Strategic Policy Institute since its founding in August 2001.
ASPI's charter, origins and early purpose
ASPI was established in August 2001 "to fill a gap in the sources of defence and security advice to the government." The institute’s charter sets out three core functions: to provide contestability and alternative advice for government; to inform and nourish the public debate; and to nurture the next generation of talent. Its creation had bipartisan foundations, "established by John Howard’s government with the Kim Beazley-led opposition’s support," and came days before the 9/11 attacks reinforced the perceived need for outside analysis of defence and security issues.
Warning signals: 5G, TikTok and technology supply chains
ASPI says it was among the early voices highlighting risks tied to specific vendors and platforms. The institute's research on Chinese vendors in 5G networks contributed to Australia becoming "the first country to exclude Huawei from its telecommunications infrastructure." Similarly, ASPI produced "some of the first research globally that identified the risks associated with TikTok, including foreign interference." These findings fed a broader focus on economic security and supply chain resilience that ASPI argues governments must address.
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See what we buildOpen-source imagery and human-rights reporting on Xinjiang
Using open-source satellite imagery, ASPI has been "among the first to shed light" on human-rights abuses in Xinjiang. The institute links that reporting to tangible policy outcomes: it notes the imagery and analysis contributed to the introduction of forced labour legislation in the United States, to a UN report "referring to crimes against humanity," and to Australia's adoption of Magnitsky-style sanctions legislation. ASPI frames this work as part of its mission to inform public debate and produce evidence that shapes policy.
Sydney Dialogue (2021), Darwin Dialogue (2022) and the Critical Technology Tracker (2022)
Responding to rapid technological change in the Indo-Pacific, ASPI launched the Sydney Dialogue in 2021 — "a tech-focused policy summit" that brings together political and industry leaders, innovators and civil society. In 2022 it opened the Darwin Dialogue to "build a resilient and secure global minerals supply chain." That same year ASPI published the Critical Technology Tracker, surveying research effort across 74 critical technologies, including AI and quantum; the Tracker's headline finding: China leads in 69 of the 74 areas examined. ASPI also notes longer-running programs such as the Women in Defence and Security Network, active for "more than 10 years."
What this means for policymakers, technologists, and the public
- Policymakers and regulators: ASPI’s role is framed as providing "contestability and alternative advice for government" — a source of policy options on issues from 5G procurement to sanctions and forced-labour laws. Expect continued use of ASPI analysis in debates over economic security, supply chains and defence budgets, including through its annual The Cost of Defence reports.
- Technologists and security teams: ASPI’s trackers and dialogues signal areas where research and standards will attract policy attention — notably AI, quantum and critical minerals. The institute’s new AI and Security Program, launched this year, is positioned to deepen analysis of security risks and adoption questions for advanced technologies.
- The public and civil society: ASPI presents itself as a public-facing source of evidence — for example, bringing open-source satellite imagery into public debate on human-rights abuses and linking analysis to legal and regulatory outcomes such as forced-labour legislation and Magnitsky-style sanctions.
ASPI has kept steady threads running across a quarter-century: annual publication of The Cost of Defence, a push to surface emerging technological risks, and convening forums that mix policymakers, industry and civil society. Most recently, the institute launched an AI and Security Program to "deliver deep research on the security risks and enormous opportunities AI presents." As ASPI puts it, in a world fighting multiple simultaneous crises, the institute "will not sit in the dugout. It will be on the field" — continuing to press for contestable advice and to keep the public better informed.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/aspi-at-25-a-quarter-century-of-analysis-and-influence/
