Centre image

The Centre for Military and Security Law is at the cutting-edge of public debate, research and policy development in military and security law. Through the frequent publication of reports, books and commentaries, centre members influence government decisions on military and security law and international policy agendas. Centre members have diverse backgrounds including in senior military roles, senior public service positions and legal practice. Centre members also have strong connections to other key ANU centres and colleges, including the ANU Strategic & Defence Studies Centre and the National Security College.

Director

David Letts

Contact

david.letts@anu.edu.au

Research themes

  • Administrative Law
  • Criminal Law
  • International Law
  • Migration and Movement of Peoples

Our members

Robert McLaughlin
Dominique Dalla-Pozza
Donald Rothwell
Christopher Ward

About CMSL

The Centre for Military and Security Law actively seeks opportunities to share its expertise with military and security decision makers and policy proponents. It provides analytical and timely research for Australian Government and private sector organisations that cut across Commonwealth Government portfolios including Defence, Attorney-General’s, Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Crime Commission, Immigration and Border Protection.

We host a significant calendar of public lectures involving visiting academics and specialists with expertise in military and security law. Our members also participate in, and host, a dynamic program of conferences and workshops both in Australia and overseas.  

Our members have significant experience in horizon scanning across a diverse range of military and security law issues and in assisting organisations future proof their policy and program agendas.

Past seminars and conferences have attracted high profile Australian decision-makers, including the Chief of Army, the Commander of the Australian Fleet, senior public servants in the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Trade and Attorney-General’s Department.

We also regularly engages with international organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime as well as international universities and experts.

The Master of Laws in International Security Law is also associated with the Centre. The Masters program complements other courses and programs offered throughout ANU in the security field, including the National Security College, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, Strategic & Defence Studies Centre, and the Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, in the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific and the School of Politics and International Relations in the ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences.

Research conducted by the Centre aligns with, and builds on, the postgraduate military law and international security law teaching program.

Warships

A new research paper co-authored by Associate Professor David Letts AM, CSM and Professor Hitoshi Nasu highlights consequences surrounding the legal characterisation of lethal autonomous maritime systems (LAMS).


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Law Lecture Theatre, ANU College of Law, Building 5, Fellows Road, Acton ACT 2600

Launch of 'The Laws of Yesterday's Wars', hosted by ANU's Centre for Military and Security Law.


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Phillipa Weeks Staff Library, ANU College of Law, Building 7, Room 7.4.1 and via Zoom

Hosted by ANU's Centre for Military and Security Law and the International Committee of the Red Cross

The Centre for Military Security and Law is dedicated to fostering research outputs and activities in the areas of military and security law. It supports members to produce publications, reports and commentaries as well as research projects, including externally funded projects.

2020 publications

Media publications

Clive Williams

2019 publications

Media publications

Clive Williams

2018 publications

Workshop report

Maritime Security: Preserving Access to Sea Lanes in Southeast Asia, prepared by Centre for Military Law (ANU College of Law) and Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (RSIS). This report emerged from a workshop held in Singapore in June 2018.

Media publications

Clive Williams

Library resource links

Reports briefing notes

2017 publications

Media publications

Clive Williams

2016 publications

Book chapters

  • Letts, D., McLauglin, R., 'Law of Naval Warfare' in Routledge Handbook of the Law of Armed Conflict (Eds Livoja, R and McCormack T.) Routledge (2016)

Media publications

Clive Williams

2015 publications

Media publications

David Letts

Rob McLaughlin

Hitoshi Nasu

Clive Williams

2014 publications

Media publications

David Letts and Hitoshi Nasu

David Letts

Clive Williams

Forums

David Letts participated in a forum at the University of the Philippines on International Humanitarian Law and Conflicts at Sea, 25 November

2013 publications

Edited books

  • Donald R Rothwell (ed), Law of the Sea (Edward Elgar, 2013) 852pp
  • Hitoshi Nasu and Robert McLaughlin (eds), New Technologies and the Law of Armed Conflict (TMC Asser 2014 forthcoming).
  • Simon Butt, Hitoshi Nasu and Luke Nottage (eds), Asia-Pacific Disaster Management: Comparative and Socio-Legal Perspectives (Berlin: Springer 2013).

Articles (International journals and reviews)

Miriam Gani

  • 'Case and Comment: The Queen v Khazaal and Federal Anti-Terrorism Offences' (2013) 37(3) Crim LJ (forthcoming June edition).

Hitoshi Nasu

  • 'Revisiting the Principle of Non-Intervention: A Structural Principle of International Law or a Political Obstacle to Regional Security in Asia?' (2013) 3 Asian Journal of International Law 25-50.
  • 'The Place of Human Security in Collective Security' (2013) 18 Journal of Conflict & Security Law 95-129.
  • Hitoshi Nasu and Donald R Rothwell, 'Re-Evaluating the Role of International Law in Territorial and Maritime Disputes in East Asia' (2014) Asian Journal of International Law forthcoming.
  • Hitoshi Nasu and Thomas Faunce, 'Nanotechnology in Japan: A Route to Energy Security After Fukushima?' (2013) 69(5) Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 68-74.
  • 'Nanotechnology and Challenges to International Humanitarian Law: A Preliminary Legal Assessment' (2012) 94 International Review of the Red Cross 653-672 (published in 2013).
  • 'The Future of Nanotechnology in Warfare', The Global Journal, 4 July 2013.

Donald R Rothwell

  • 'The Polar Regions and the Development of International Law: Contemporary Reflections and Twenty-First Century Challenges' (2013) 5 Polar Yearbook (forthcoming)

Book chapters (Commercial publishers)

Hitoshi Nasu

  • Luke Nottage, Hitoshi Nasu and Simon Butt, 'Disaster Management: Socio-Legal and Asia-Pacific Perspectives' in Simon Butt, Hitoshi Nasu and Luke Nottage (eds), Asia-Pacific Disaster Management: Comparative and Socio-Legal Perspectives (Berlin: Springer 2013) 1-58.
  • Hitoshi Nasu, 'Managing Future Disasters: Japan's Energy Security and Nanotechnology Regulation' in Simon Butt, Hitoshi Nasu and Luke Nottage (eds), Asia-Pacific Disaster Management: Comparative and Socio-Legal Perspectives (Berlin: Springer 2013) 139-152.
  • Akiko Okudaira and Hitoshi Nasu, 'Revisiting the Concept of Protection in International Refugee Law: Implications of the Protracted Refugee Situation on the Thai-Myanmar Border' in Angus Francis and Rowena Maguire (eds), Protection of Refugees and Displaced Persons in the Asia-Pacific Region (Farnham: Ashgate, 2013) 171-183.

Donald R Rothwell

  • 'Maritime Security in the Polar Regions' in Alex G. Oude Elferink, Erik Molenaar, Donald R Rothwell (eds), The Law of the Sea and Polar Regions: Interactions between Global and Regional Regimes (Brill: forthcoming)
  • 'Compulsory Pilotage and the Law of the Sea: Lessons Learned from the Torres Strait' in Shicun Wu and Keyuan Zou (eds), Securing the Safety of Navigation in East Asia: Legal and Political Dimensions (Chandos, Cambridge)

Presentations

Dr Christopher Ward's speech on the South China Sea disputes (PDF, 123KB) at the European Regional Conference of the International Law Association in Greece in August.

Thesis

Sophie Roden completes her Law Honours thesis titled Turning Their Back on the Law? The Legality of the Coalition's Maritime Interdiction and Return Policy (PDF, 427KB).

Professional development course - Maldives Police Service

Visiting Professor Clive Williams ran a professional development course for the Maldives Police Service (MPS) (PDF, 44KB) at its Institute for Security and Law Enforcement Studies (ISLES) in Male.

Media publications

David Letts

Donald R Rothwell

Clive Williams

2012 publications

Authored books

  • Geoff Skillen, International Criminal Justice and Military Perspectives-International Criminal Justice Legitimacy and Coherence ed. Boas, Schabas and Scharf, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, 2012

Edited books

  • Simon Bronitt, Miriam Gani and Saskia Hufnagel (eds) Shooting to Kill: Socio-Legal Perspectives on the Use of Lethal Force, Hart Publishing, Oxford (2012)
  • Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R Rothwell and Karen N. Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives (Routledge, London: 2012) xxiii + 343pp

Articles (International journals and reviews)

Hitoshi Nasu

  • 'Peacekeeping, Civilian Protection Mandate and the Responsibility to Protect' in Vesselin Popovski, Charles Sampford, and Angus Francis (eds), Norms of Protection: Responsibility to Protect, Protection of Civilian and Their Interaction (Tokyo: UN University Press, 2012) 117-133.
  • 'The Protection of Civilians from Violence and the Effects of Attacks in International Humanitarian Law' in Igor Primoratz and David Lovell (ed), Protecting Civilians during Violent Conflict: Theoretical and Practical Issues for the 21st Century (Ashgate Publishing, 2012) 65-84.
  • 'Law and Policy for Antarctic Security: An Analytical Framework' Alan D Hemmings, Donald R Rothwell, and Karen N Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives (London: Routledge, 2012) 18-32.

Hitoshi Nasu and Tom Faunce

  • 'Nano-Safety or Nano-Security? Reassessing Europe's Nanotechnology Regulation in the Context of International Security Law' (2012) 3 European Journal of Risk Regulation 416-421.

Donald R Rothwell

  • 'International Straits and Trans-Arctic Navigation' (2012) 43 Ocean Development and International Law 267-282
  • 'Polar Oceans Governance in the 21st Century' (2012) 26 Ocean Yearbook 343-360

Book chapters (Commercial publishers)

  • Simon Bronitt and Miriam Gani, 'Regulating Reasonable Force: Policing in the Shadows of the Law' in Simon Bronitt, Miriam Gani and Saskia Hugnagel (eds), Shooting to Kill: Socio-Legal Perspectives on the Use of Lethal Force, Hart Publishing, Oxford (2012).
  • Donald R Rothwell, Alan D. Hemmings and Karen N. Scott, 'The Search for 'Antarctic Security' in Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, and Karen N. Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives (Routledge, Milton Park, UK: 2012) 1-17
  • Donald R Rothwell, 'The Antarctic Treaty as a security construct' in Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, and Karen N. Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives (Routledge, Milton Park, UK: 2012) 33-50
  • Donald R Rothwell, 'Law enforcement in Antarctica' in Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, and Karen N. Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives (Routledge, Milton Park, UK: 2012) 135-153
  • Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R Rothwell and Karen N. Scott, 'Antarctic security in a global context' in Alan D. Hemmings, Donald R. Rothwell, and Karen N. Scott (eds), Antarctic Security in the Twenty-First Century: Legal and Policy Perspectives(Routledge, Milton Park, UK: 2012) 328-336
  • 'Peacetime maritime operations' in Karine Bannelier, Theodore Christakis, and Sarah Heathcote (eds) The ICJ and the Evolution of International Law: The enduring impact of the Corfu Channel case (Routledge, New York: 2012) 181-197

Media publications (Opinion pieces)

Donald R Rothwell

Clive Williams

2011 publications

Book chapters (Commercial publishers)

  • Donald R Rothwell and Rachel Baird “Australia's Coastal and Marine Environment” in Rachel Baird and Donald R. Rothwell (eds), Australian Coastal and Marine Law (Federation Press, Annandale (NSW): 2011) 1-20

Articles (International journals and reviews)

Hitoshi Nasu

Hitoshi Nasu and Tom Faunce

Media publications (Opinion pieces)

Donald R Rothwell

2010 publications

Authored books

  • Donald R Rothwell and Tim Stephens, The International Law of the Sea (Hart, Oxford: 2010) xlv + 500pp

Edited books

  • Natalie Klein, Joanna Mossop and Donald R Rothwell eds., Maritime Security: International Law and Policy Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand (Routledge, London: 2010) xxiv + 277pp

Book chapters (Commercial publishers)

  • 'The Proliferation Security Initiative: Amending the Convention on the Law of the Sea by Stealth?' in David D. Caron and Harry N. Scheiber (eds) The Oceans in the Nuclear Age: Legacies and Risks (Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden: 2010) 285-293
  • 'Maritime Security in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary and Anticipated Challenges for Australia and New Zealand' in Natalie Klein, Joanna Mossop and Donald R Rothwell eds., Maritime Security: International Law and Policy Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand (Routledge, London: 2010) 242-259
  • Natalie Klien, Joanna Mossop and Donald R Rothwell 'Australia, New Zealand and Maritime Security' in Natalie Klein, Joanna Mossop and Donald R. Rothwell eds., Maritime Security: International Law and Policy Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand (Routledge, London: 2010) 1-21
  • Donald R Rothwell and Natalie Klein 'Maritime Security and the Law of the Sea' in Natalie Klein, Joanna Mossop and Donald R. Rothwell eds., Maritime Security: International Law and Policy Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand (Routledge, London: 2010) 22-36
  • Donald R Rothwell and Cameron Moore 'Australia's Traditional Maritime Security Concerns and Post 9/11 Perspectives' in Natalie Klein, Joanna Mossop and Donald R. Rothwell eds., Maritime Security: International Law and Policy Perspectives from Australia and New Zealand (Routledge, London: 2010) 37-53

Articles (International journals and reviews)

Miriam Gani

  • 'Combating Terrorism and the Rule of Law" (2010) 22 (3) LegalDate 5-7

Hitoshi Nasu and Tom Faunce

  • 'Nanotechnology and the International Law of Weaponry: Towards International Regulation of Nano-Weapons' (2010) 20 Journal of Law, Information and Science 21-54.

Media publications (Opinion pieces)

Mark Nolan

Mark Nolan & Donald R Rothwell

Donald R Rothwell

  • Trial's role in winning over Afghans (Sydney Morning Herald, 29 September 2010)
  • Renewed focus on civilian casualties(The World Today, 28 September 2010)
  • Soldiers more likely to be in court: expert (ABC News, 28 September 2010)
  • Japanese Whaling: When Diplomacy Fails, Call the ICJJurist Legal News & Research Forum (3 March 2010) [discussing the diplomatic and legal options open to Australia challenge Japan's JARPA II program]
  • 'Showdown looms on whaling' Canberra Times 2 March 2010, p. 11 [discussing the diplomatic and legal options open to Australia challenge Japan's JARPA II program]
  • 'Putting Japan in the dock over whaling' Dominion Post (Wellington) 25 February 2010, p. 5 [discussing the options open to Australia and New Zealand to take Japan to the ICJ to challenge the legality of its JARPA II program]
  • High seas clash inevitableThe Sydney Morning Herald 8 January 2010, p. 11 [discussing the collision in the Southern Ocean between the Ady Gil and Shonan Maru and legal and political implications]

Graduate study

Master of Laws (LLM) in International Security Law

International security law provides the legal framework for governments to respond to global, regional and national insecurity. An ANU College of Law Masters in International Security Law will deepen your understanding of issues like the use of force, UN peacekeeping, national security, humanitarian and post conflict situations, cyber warfare, maritime security, and human rights in armed conflict. The program offers a wide range of elective courses to address these issues, many of which require a substantial research paper.