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Paul Madden

British Ambassador to Japan

Part of UK in Australia

25th November 2011

Defence cooperation – stronger than ever

Our Armed Forces Minister, Nick Harvey MP, was in Canberra and Sydney this week. He had a series of meetings with the Defence Department Ministerial team – Stephen Smith, Warren Snowdon and Jason Clare, and met a very broad range of senior officials and military officers.

There was much to talk about. The Minister and his interlocutors discussed the changing global security situation, and specific areas of operation like Afghanistan. They also talked about the challenges that all defence forces face, in strategic reform and budgetary management. They agreed that there should be plenty of opportunities for us to collaborate more closely in the development of new equipment and systems, so that we can both benefit from more cost effective procurement. On 13 December the former Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Largs Bay which the Australian Navy has bought from the UK, will be re-commissioned in Fremantle as the HMAS Choules – named after Australia’s very last Digger from the First World War, who sadly passed away earlier this year aged 110.

One of the most interesting new challenges is in the area of Cyber security. The Minister gave a fascinating speech on Cyber Warfare to members of the Kokoda Institute and answered questions about it on the  ABC’s breakfast news.

I was counting up and realised that this was the tenth British ministerial visit since I arrived here in January.  A significant increase over previous years, and a real symbol of the greater emphasis which the British government is placing on our already very close relationship.

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About Paul Madden

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017. He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia…

Paul Madden has been the British Ambassador to Japan from January 2017.

He was Additional Director for Asia Pacific at the FCO in 2015.He was British High Commissioner to Australia until February 2015. Prior to this he was British High Commissioner in Singapore from 2007-2011.

A career diplomat, he was previously Managing Director at UK Trade and Investment (2004-2006), responsible for co-ordinating and
implementing international trade development strategies to support
companies across a wide range of business sectors.

As Assistant Director of Information at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (2003-2004) he was responsible for public diplomacy policy,
including managing the FCO funding of the BBC World Service, the British
Council and the Chevening Scholarships programme. He led the team
responsible for the award-winning UK pavilion at the Aichi Expo in Japan
2005.

He was Deputy High Commissioner in Singapore from 2000-2003 and has
also served in Washington (1996-2000) and Tokyo (1988-92). Between
1992-96 he worked on EU enlargement and Environmental issues at the FCO
in London.

Before joining FCO he worked at the Department of Trade and Industry
(1980-87) on a range of industrial sectors and trade policy, including
two years as a minister’s Private Secretary.

He has an MA in Economic Geography from Cambridge University, an MBA
from Durham University, studied Japanese at London University’s School
of Oriental and African Studies, and is a Fellow of the Royal
Geographical Society. His first book, Raffles: Lessons in Business
Leadership, was published in 2003.

Married to Sarah, with three children, he was born in 1959, in Devon.

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Defence Politics