What did we see and hear in Pyongyang, and hear from North Korean officials, through the hopeful days of the 2000s, when we joined with close allies to try to convince the Kim Jong-il regime to give up nuclear weapons and to open up the country’s economy Vietnam-style? Clearly we failed. Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un has technology and nuclear material enough for 50 warheads, cyber hacking on an industrial scale and swathes of North Koreans live in poverty and servitude.

Jane is a regular contributor to articles by Philippines journalist Michaela del Callar, focused on long-standing concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea.

While head of Arms Control work in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Jane met and worked with US Obama senior official and former top nuclear negotiator, Dr Rose Gottemoeller. Now at Stanford University, Rose delivered the Lowy Institute’s annual strategic policy lecture in Sydney on a surprising topic - whether President Trump might just pull of a ground-breaking nuclear pact between the thee most powerful nuclear weapons states. 

Jane joined veteran American military chief and cyber czar, Mike Rogers, to highlight risks associated with open market competition laws on digital access in Europe, which would open up to ordinary people’s phones and laptops to direct attacks.

POLITICO journalists focused on the Australia-India-Japan-United States Quadrilateral Dialogue spoke to Jane about Australia’s interests and aims for the group, as the US transitioned from Presidents Biden to Trump.

Australia has spent four decades building diplomatic mini-laterals in our region. Japan has been a steadfast and effective partner in our aims, particularly former PM Kishida.

For Indo-Pacific stability and security, there is no more important relationship than that between South Korea and Japan - and the United States forged a breakthrough pact which we hope will be sustained.

Though geographically far away, the world’s most comprehensive and powerful collective military treaty, NATO, remains fundamental to Australia's interests.

Australia’s Defence Minister stood in for the PM at a critical moment in NATO’s history, but Jane believes the PM himself should have been there.

North Korea is one of the world’s most impoverished and isolated nations - one with nuclear weapons - but its young leader has forged new and dangerous liaisons with old ally Russia.

In 2021 while servicing Australia’s head diplomat in Hawaii, Jane met with the US Defense Secretary at the INDOPACOM Change of Command and heard his groundbreaking ideas about integrated deterrence among allies.

On this special anniversary, Jane wrote of her conversations with the North Korean foreign minister in Pyongyang, and realised the magnitude of his misreading of the US response to the 9/11 terror attacks.