Brendan Sargeant is Honorary Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Studies at the Australian National University. He is currently Acting Principal at the Australian Command and Staff Course. He is the Independent Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is an independent Member of the Project Control Board for the Department of Human Services ICT and Business Transformation Program.

He retired from the Department of Defence in October 2017. From September 2013 to October 2017, he was the Associate Secretary of Defence. Prior to that appointment he was the Deputy Secretary Strategy. As Associate Secretary, he was responsible for oversight of the implementation of the First Principles Review, a major reform of Defence organisation and enterprise governance, planning, performance and risk management. He was principal author of the 2013 Defence White Paper.