Nishank Motwani

Washington, D.C., United States

Senior Analyst at Australian Strategic Policy Institute

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Articles

AUKUS and Deterrence: What, Exactly, Are We Trying To Deter?

3 weeks ago | realcleardefense.com | Nishank Motwani

AUKUS and Deterrence: What, Exactly, Are We Trying To Deter?
AUKUS and Deterrence: What, Exactly, Are We Trying To Deter?

3 weeks ago | realcleardefense.com | Nishank Motwani

AUKUS is one of the most ambitious allied defence undertakings in decades. But for all the high-end platforms and advanced capabilities it promises, a fundamental question remains underexplored: what, exactly, is AUKUS seeking to deter? This question matters—not just as a theoretical exercise, but as a strategic imperative that will shape the effectiveness, and ultimate success, of the AUKUS enterprise. The behaviour set that we want to deter is not self-evident.
Strategic and industrial factors favour Japan for Australia’s frigate project

Feb 26, 2025 | aspistrategist.org.au | Nishank Motwani

It’s not just technical naval capability. Australia has persuasive geostrategic and industrial reasons for choosing Japan over Germany as its partner in building up to 11 general-purpose frigates in a priority defence program. The upgraded Mogami class offered by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) does have strong technical advantages for the Royal Australian Navy over the competing Meko A-200 from Germany’s ThyssenKrupp.
Diplomacy first: Australia’s diplomatic push in a contested Indo-Pacific

Jan 19, 2025 | aspistrategist.org.au | Nishank Motwani

The return of Donald Trump could demote diplomacy as he pursues hard power and economic statecraft. Diplomacy may be more about damage control than prioritising the long game and the art of exercising constructive leadership. Trump has already fixated on the ideas of buying Greenland and retaking the Panama Canal and is musing that Canada should join the United States as the 51st state.
Why informed discussion on AUKUS is good for everyone

Sep 27, 2024 | aspistrategist.org.au | Nishank Motwani

The Australian government needs to lead the narrative on AUKUS. If it doesn’t, others will. More and better-informed discussion about AUKUS is a good thing. The Australian public deserves continued healthy debates about what AUKUS, and the significant increase in defence spending outlined in the National Defence Strategy, mean for them, their communities, the economy and the Indo-Pacific region.
AUKUS needs more than submarines to make its bold vision a reality - Nishank Motwani

Sep 15, 2024 | qoshe.com | Nishank Motwani

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AUKUS needs more than submarines to make its bold vision a reality

Sep 14, 2024 | asia.nikkei.com | Nishank Motwani

Nishank Motwani is senior analyst for defense and security policy in the Washington office of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). The trilateral AUKUS security partnership is centered on China, even if it is not publicly stated. But as Australia, the U.K. and the U.S. observe the agreement's three-year mark on Sept. 15, there is still limited public knowledge about its goal.
AI, military technology | Homeland Security Newswire

Aug 30, 2024 | homelandsecuritynewswire.com | Nishank Motwani

AIThe Danger of AI in War: It Doesn’t Care About Self-PreservationPublished 30 August 2024Recent wargames using artificial-intelligence models from OpenAI, Meta and Anthropic revealed a troubling trend: AI models are more likely than humans to escalate conflicts to kinetic, even nuclear, war. Recent wargames using artificial-intelligence models from OpenAI, Meta and Anthropic revealed a troubling trend: AI models are more likely than humans to escalate conflicts to kinetic, even nuclear, war.
Bold push into quantum computing is Australia's Manhattan moment

Jul 25, 2024 | aspistrategist.org.au | Nishank Motwani

The Manhattan Project, a response Germany’s combination of innovation and military power, unleashed nuclear physics on the world. Its success positioned the United States at the forefront of progress in critical technologies and demonstrated that innovation was central both to economic prosperity and national security.
How AI Will Impact Deterrence

May 26, 2024 | nationalinterest.org | Nishank Motwani

In the realm of defense and security, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is likely to transform the practices of deterrence and coercion, having at least three complementary effects on power, perception, and persuasion calculations among states. The substantial investments in AI across governments, private industries, and academia underscore its pivotal role. Much of the discussion, however, falls into narratives portraying either Terminator-style killer robots or utopian panaceas.