Hugh White AO FASSA (born 1953) is an Emeritus Professor of Strategic Studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre of the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia, long-time defence and intelligence analyst, and author who has published works on military strategy and international relations.
[13] In more recent times White advocated for a reconsideration of the Abbott government's preference for a deal with Japan for the construction of Australia's next generation submarine fleet.
[14] White has also been critical of the Rudd and Gillard government's escalation of Australian involvement in the War in Afghanistan which he argues resulted in increased casualties.
"Australia seems to have acquired quite a prominent place in regional power politics, as shown by the way Obama, Xi, Modi and Abe have all come here to deliver big geopolitical speeches.
[18] A strategist at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy, James Goldrick, argued in 2015 that White's bellicosity must be measured against the price of war, stating that "[w]hat we have to be sure [about] is that the end justifies the means".
Professor Paul Dibb from the Australian National University argued that White has overstated the ability of China to assert its power.
[20] White was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to international affairs, through strategic defence studies as an analyst, academic and adviser to government, and to public administration".