Mick Ryan

Mick Ryan is a former major general in the Australian army and geopolitical analyst. 

Ryan spent 35 years in the Australian Army. He commanded soldiers at multiple levels and his deployments included East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Ryan also served as a strategist on the United States Joint Staff in the Pentagon. 

Ryan speaks about the complex role Australia plays in the APAC region. It is the US’s leading ally and a vital security partner. But its export-heavy economy is dependent upon China. Political and military strategy must consider the economic consequences of severed trade links. 

The implications of Australia’s dual identity stretches further into the region. There are natural alliances with other US-aligned liberal democracies like Japan and South Korea. Relationships with non-aligned nations are more complicated. Mick Ryan understands these nuances. He’s worked extensively with the US military and studied at John Hopkins School. Yet he also speaks Indonesian and understands the strategic direction of that increasingly influential archipelago. 

Ryan’s first book, War Transformed, was published following his retirement from the army in February 2022. It examines the future of military strategy and how warfare will change in a new multipolar era. His latest book, White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, is a fictional imagining of a 2028 war between China and Taiwan. It questions whether a war for Taiwan is winnable. His next book is about strategy and adaptation in the Ukraine War and will be published in mid-2024.

Ryan also writes in shorter format for the Sydney Morning Herald and ABC Australia. He also regularly appears on ABC TV, the BBC and CNN. 

Mick Ryan is also an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC and a non-resident fellow of the Lowy Institute in Sydney.