Defence Committee examine the UK’s naval role in the Indo-Pacific

• Parliament TV: The Navy: purpose and procurement
• Inquiry: The Navy: purpose and procurement
• Defence Committee

Purpose of the session

The session will hear from these local regional experts live from the Indo-Pacific and will examine what role the UK can play in the region in the future, and will include questions on AUKUS and the Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific. It will also cover what lessons the UK shipbuilding industry and National Shipbuilding Strategy can learn from partners in the region with large or growing shipbuilding sectors.

Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne served as Minister for Defence Industry from 2016 to 2018 and Minister for Defence from 2018-2019. During his three years in office as a Cabinet Minister in the Defence portfolio he created and implemented the Naval Shipbuilding Plan and oversaw several naval programs. He also started the Pacific Step Up to strengthen Australia’s strategic role in the South Pacific in 2018 and helped found the Australia France Initiative (Afiniti) to take advantage of the closer relationship with France due to the Attack Class Submarine Project. Professor Tetsuo Kotani is a Professor at Meikai University. His research focus is the US-Japan Alliance, Maritime Security, Geopolitics and Geostrategy. He won the 2003 Japanese Defense Minister Prize. He has published numerous articles both in English and Japanese, and his recent English publications include "Crisis Management in the East China Sea".

Witnesses

Tuesday 21 September 2021

9.00am:

• Christopher Pyne, Former Australian Minister of Defence
• Professor Tetsuo Kotani, Professor, Meikai University and Senior Fellow, The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: MoD