Who is Elbridge Colby, the ‘maverick’ leading the US review of AUKUS?

Colby chose a classic liberal art degree at Harvard University, specialized in history and political and moral theory, and worked with the political philosopher Harvey Mansfield, whom he admired.

This background continues to be a point of pride and can say that they are tightly hidden-a slight disdain for the world of relations and national security experts.

“I am not defined as a member of the National Security Community,” he said last year to the Institute of Intercollegiet Research.

“Where is the source of intellectual and moral trust?

Later, he turned to the history of Cold War at the college. He graduated shortly after the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and started to work in the government. Experience gave the “peanut gallery appearance ın of a very important moment, including a commission employee, including a commission employee, including a commission employee looking at Iraq’s allegation of mass destruction.

Colby received a degree of law from Yale University, but decided that he was not a call. Its interest is the national security and foreign strategy-operations or concepts instead of daily Minutiae.

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Heat, “I think there was always a little ridiculous – but some kind of maverick mentality,” he said. “I don’t think the person should be opposed. It is good to think about yourself and on your own.”

Under the first Trump, Colby served as the Chief Advisor to the Defense and Foreign Policy Defense Secretary and pioneered the development of the 2018 national defense strategy that shifted the US focus to China.

Now it has been tasked with creating a version of 2025.

Revelation book

In the 2021 book, Denial strategyColby said that the US’s best strategic priority is to act as “outer corner stabilizer için for a powerful coalition that can disappoint China’s desire for hegemonic power in Asia.

The best way to do this is Colby, with the defense of denial ”. The aim of the US is not to dominate China as a military, but to deny the ability to achieve its goals – robbing or capturing or holding an ally zone from an ally.

This strategy can only work if the US and its allies and partners implement the necessary effort and focus ”.

The most prominent of Beijing’s goals is Taiwan, which he sees as a part of China. For years, Washington’s foreign policy organization solved the concept proposed by the Indopacom Commander Phil Davidson at that time, China’s 100th anniversary of the Independence Army, the 100th anniversary of China’s 100th anniversary.

This masthead and Financial times He reported that Colby wanted clear commitments about what to do in case of a conflict with China on Taiwan from Australia and Japan. This includes how Australia will use nuclear energy submarines under Aukus from the United States.

How Canberra handles this will have critical importance for the ongoing relationship with Beijing.

While Prime Minister Anthony made a relatively comfortable visit to China last week – even lunch with China President Xi Jinping – Colby’s demands approached the magnificence and ceremony of the trip. In the future of the Australian-China relationship, he quickly played an important role from relative uncertainty.

Meanwhile, a senior US defense official, Masthead, focuses on Taiwan, while the US concerns are wider than that, he said. In Colby’s book, there are clues about what this requires.

He writes that the Philippines will be the second best goal of Beijing among the Allies. He describes Australia and Japan as two allies with the capacity to significantly contribute to the collective defense of both Taiwan and the Philippines.

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Colby sees all the allies in the region as vital, but at the same time careful against the willingness to contribute and commit to collective defense. In particular, Australia, Japan and South Korea can officially resist the defense of Taiwan and the Philippines.

It supports the alliance with Australia, with an advanced economy, its talented army and its distance to China, it is relatively easy to defense. However, Colby observes that if China dominates Southeast Asia, the US and others will make Australia’s defense much more painful, challenging and risky.

“Therefore, the United States should try to join Canberra to prepare their power to help the Philippines and Taiwan to defend their efforts, and Australia has already progressed in this direction.

Fighter debate

It means focusing there for a part of Colby’s pivot on Indo-Pacific and US resources containing China. It is one of the last driving forces for skeptical and NATO members to remove defense expenditures and look at their backyard to distribute weapons to other conflicts, including Ukraine.

Colby’s attempt to stop the last weapons for Ukraine was controversial. Wall Street Journal In early June, Ukraine wrote a note stating how more weapons demand could extend more “Pentagon stocks”.

However, Trump reversed the decision and said to Kiev’s new Patriot missile defense systems (paid by Europe, he said.

Many of Washington sees this section as “exaggerating hand” – free work -, but hegseth reportedly that he was ultimately responsible for the decision and could not tell the White House in advance.

There are also tensions between the Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that are surprised by the AUKUS review. When the investigation was announced to the public, he sent the message to the department diplomats, “We are not aware of the review of the AUKUS agreement”.

A recent story Policy Colby explained the depth of tension between the government and the government. A person who is familiar with the situation said, çıkış He annoyes everyone I know in the administration ”.

Some believe that Colby is now in a weaker position. However, as a good -linked source told this Masthead: “It would be a mistake to think that it would go on the Australian side.”

On Friday, Australian US Ambassador to US Ambassador Kevin Rudd said the Aspen Security Forum was working on Aukus Review with Australia with Colby and his team and that each of the problems that Colby has brought up. He said they were familiar with each other.

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“The ‘bridge’ has passed on my place many times, Rudd said Rudd. “We’ve known each other for a long time.”

Former Ambassador Arthur Sinodinos now says that together with the Asian Group and co -chairman of the Aukus Forum, it is important to remember that Colby is not a thought -tank that wants to apply theoretical views to the real world.

“Defense strategy means that it is a serious player in shaping existing defense priorities, including Aukus, with a wide history of defense strategy, power development and planning, Sin says Sinodinos.

Mike Green, General Manager of the United States Research Center for the National Security Council personnel from 2001 to 2005, said that Colby has forced the most challenging choices to make the difficult choices that many people know and left their mark on their foreign policy circles.

Part of its success, at the same time potentially reducing the usual bureaucratic processes of Trump administration that coordinates policy development such as NSC.

“So there is much more space for policy entrepreneurs to force their agenda, and ‘Bridge’ is doing it clearly, Gree says Green.

“He was seized with urgentity and reduces these difficult choices to sharp elections, but without a very important inter -institutional process to take into account the results.”

Green says that Australia and other allies will probably have to address more of this pressure. “But I don’t think the US and key stakeholders have changed their fundamental interests with AUKUS.”