Leadership forged at sea; strategic insight shaping tomorrow’s Indo-Pacific security
Jennifer Parker is one of Australia’s leading voices on defence strategy and geopolitics.
Over a distinguished two-decade career in the Royal Australian Navy she served as a Principal Warfare Officer, Executive Officer of the guided-missile frigate HMAS Darwin, and Director of Operations for the 46-nation Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain. Her sea service spanned the Middle East, Indo-Pacific and Caribbean, covering counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and coalition combat operations. These appointments honed her talent for translating complex operational realities into clear strategic guidance for senior decision-makers—skills she now shares with boardrooms, conference stages and the media.
After leaving full-time service, Jennifer founded Barrier Strategic Advisory, providing counsel to government and industry on deterrence, capability development and geopolitical risk. She holds concurrent appointments as an Expert Associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, an Adjunct Fellow in naval studies at UNSW Canberra, and the Nancy Bentley Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Maritime Affairs at the Council on Geostrategy in London. Her commentary features regularly on television, radio and in national newspapers, and she hosts a popular podcast that demystifies contemporary sea power and regional security for diverse audiences.
A qualified lawyer and graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy, Jennifer has been recognised as a Young Leader at the Shangri-La Dialogue and named among Australia’s foremost security thinkers. She serves on the council of the Australian Naval Institute and has sat on several non-profit boards supporting veterans’ welfare and strategic education.
Her leadership philosophy—rooted in calm command and collaborative problem-solving—has inspired teams from warship decks to multinational headquarters. Whether briefing cabinet ministers, moderating high-profile panels or mentoring the next generation of leaders, Jennifer is driven by a single purpose: to help Australia navigate an increasingly contested strategic environment with confidence, clarity and conviction.
Talking Points
Geopolitics & Strategy in a Changing World
Great-power rivalry, supply-chain shocks and grey-zone coercion are redrawing the global map. Jennifer unpacks where the geopolitical fault-lines are shifting, what that means for Australia as a middle power, and how leaders can craft agile strategies that withstand surprise and seize opportunity.
Geopolitics & Strategy in a Changing World
Leadership from the Bridge: Operational Lessons for High-Performance Teams
Two decades of driving warships and directing a 46-nation maritime coalition have given Jennifer a front-row seat to decision-making under genuine pressure. She distils that operational experience into practical tools—rapid sense-making, disciplined communication and purpose-driven action—that any organisation can apply to build resilient, high-performing teams.
Leadership from the Bridge: Operational Lessons for High-Performance Teams
Maritime Security: Protecting Australia’s Lifelines
Ninety-nine per cent of Australia’s trade and data moves across or under the sea. Jennifer explains the emerging threats—from contested sea lanes to cyber-vulnerable ports—and offers a clear roadmap for government, industry and communities to safeguard the maritime infrastructure that underpins national prosperity and security.
Maritime Security: Protecting Australia’s Lifelines
Women at the Helm: Leading with Purpose in Defence and Beyond
With over two decades ae a warfare officer in the Royal Australian Navy, Jennifer shares candid lessons from breaking barriers at sea and in strategy circles. She shows how inclusive teams outperform, outlines leadership traits that cut through bias, and offers practical steps for cultivating cultures where diverse talent thrives.
Women at the Helm: Leading with Purpose in Defence and Beyond
Video
Sovereignty and Security forum Canberra 2025 | Jennifer Parker
This panel discusses the viability of AUKUS in its current form, and what needs to change to deliver sovereign undersea warfare capabilities that Australia can afford to own and man. Panellists include: Dennis Richardson AO, served as Secretary of Defence, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, was the Director General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) for almost a decade to 2005, and was the Australian Ambassador to the United States for 5 years until 2010; Jennifer Parker, served for 20 years with the Royal Australian Navy, specialising in Principal Warfare Officer. She was second in command of the HMAS Darwin, our guided missile frigate; Rear Admiral Peter D Briggs AO OAM served in the Royal Australian Navy for 40 years, specialising as a submarine operator. He was in Command of HMAS Stirling, and was Head of Submarine Capability resolving Collins introduction into service issues.Does Australia need to increase defence spending? || Insiders: On Background
So does Australia need to increase defence spending, and what sort of defence force does the country need? Professor Peter Dean is the Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the US Studies Centre, and was a co-author of the Defence Strategic Review two years ago. Jennifer Parker is from the Australian National University's National Security College, and spent 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy, including as a specialist principal warfare officer. The defence experts join David Speers for Insiders: On Background.
