Mike Burgess AM, Director-General of Security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), delivered this year's Gallipoli Memorial Lecture at RUSI on 23 September.
In his address, Mr Burgess noted that it was 70 years since Australia and New Zealand had joined the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, and reflected that the group's shared democratic values were the basis of its enduring success.
The Director-General highlighted four of the converging threats degrading the security environment of Australia and its allies: renewed Russian aggression and sabotage, division and grievance exacerbated by the conflict in the Middle East, great power competition, as well as technological advances including artificial intelligence. He argued these pressures increasingly intersect, blurring traditional distinctions between threat categories.
Despite this challenging outlook, Mr Burgess said the Five Eyes partnership had repeatedly proved highly effective, adaptable and resilient.
Held since 2001, the annual Gallipoli Memorial Lecture aims to illustrate how the contribution and sacrifices of Australian and New Zealand forces more than a century ago can inspire countries today to use their military instruments to best effectiveness.