Research Theme

Defence, Security and Space

States leverage a range of technological options available to them to strengthen their sovereignty and national security. Many of these technological options are now developed by the private sector, giving rise to new opportunities and changing international power dynamics.

Research Projects

Projects undertaken by JBC members in this area explore the political, regulatory, and legal frameworks surrounding defence, security, and outer space. This includes measuring space power, the use of chemical and biological weapons, and the cybersecurity of space assets.

Understanding the Law Applicable to Information Warfare - Dr Stacey Henderson

Information warfare is a key emerging trend in homeland security. However, there is great uncertainty regarding both where the legal boundaries lie and strategically, where Australia might like them to be.

This project examined the defining characteristics of Information warfare, how it is currently applied in Australia, and the relevant domestic and international laws that apply to its characterisation and use.

A JBC Policy Perspective on this topic is available here and a public report was produced from this project which is available here.

Chief Investigator: Professor Melissa de Zwart (University of Adelaide), Associate Professor Stacey Henderson (Flinders University), and Professor Matthew Stubbs (University of Adelaide)

Grant Funder: Department of Defence – Strategic Policy Division Grant

Funding: $123,604.80

Member Publications

Luis da Vinha & Vinicius Gonçalves de Oliveira / Active non-alignment’ in outer space: Brazil’s hedging strategy in the Sino-American space race (2025)

Sanzhuan Guo / Statelessness and Conflict: A Case Study of Descendants of Kuomingtang Secret Army in Thailand (2025)

Stacey Henderson & Melissa de Zwart / International law in outer space : Protecting against 'evil' corporate actors (2025)

Philip Johnson / Criminal Communication: Public Representations, Repertoires, and Regimes of Criminal Governance (2025)

Joel Lisk / Creating a Law – The Historical, Political and Commercial Path to an Australian Space Law (2025)

Joel Lisk & Dominic Wilcox / Who governs space? (2025)

Joel Lisk & Tahlia Hart / Generating issues? Artificial intelligence and legal professional privilege (2025)

Joel Lisk / Space-Sourced Data - Navigating the Boundaries of Personal Information and Australian Privacy Regulation (2025)

Joel Lisk / A New Way to Regulate Space? Evolving the Licensing Regimes for Space Activities (2025)

Joel Lisk / Regulation of Space Activities: The Australian Approach (2025)

Rodrigo Praino, Ottorino Cappelli, Marco Aliberti et al. / Space power and spacepower. Routledge Handbook of Space Policy

Latest Report

Protecting Australia: Counterspace Technologies and National Security Threats

Dr Rodrigo Praino, Dr Melissa de Zwart, Sumen Rai

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Featured Perspectives

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The Jeff Bleich Centre was established to undertake world-leading research, to strengthen the core values and institutions of democratic societies.

Most of our research projects are externally-funded through competitive grants, contracted research, and philanthropic donations. Funding sources have included the Australian Research Council (ARC), SmartSat CRC, Defence, the Office of National Intelligence and the Australian Space Agency.

The JBC encourages and actively promotes collaborative research with national and international institutions. Collaborations have included work with the University of Adelaide, Monash University, Griffith University, the Australian National University, the University of Virginia (USA), Arizona State University, the University of Ottawa, the Victoria Electoral Commission, Defence Innovation Partnership, South Australian Space Industry Centre, the Electoral Commission of Queensland, and the European Space Policy Institute.