Strategic Imagination: Essays in Honour of Brendan Sargeant
Brendan Sargeant spent much of his distinguished career at the Australian Department of Defence before joining the Coral Bell School’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU. His concept of Strategic Imagination challenged conventional approaches to strategy, emphasising creativity, foresight and the questioning of assumptions as essential to effective policy and scholarship.
On Wednesday evening 22 October 2025, the ANU Coral Bell School hosted the launch of Strategic Imagination, a volume edited by Dr Andrew Carr and contributed to by leading scholars and former officials. The event brought together colleagues, students, mentees, and friends to reflect on Brendan’s professional contributions and enduring legacy.
Strategic Imagination explores the unusual conjunction of strategy and imagination, demonstrating its crucial role in both scholarly inquiry and practical policy. It features essays by academics and former officials, personal reflections from colleagues at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, and selections of Brendan’s own writings, ensuring his ideas continue to inspire future generations.
Our warm congratulations go to Dr Andrew Carr and all contributors for bringing this remarkable work to fruition. We are grateful to Greg Moriarty, Secretary of the Department of Defence, Professor Helen Sullivan, Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, and Professor Stephan Frühling for launching the book and reflecting on Brendan’s profound influence across policy and scholarship.
Sita Sargeant, Brendan’s daughter, shared touching reflections on her father’s life, reminding attendees of the imagination, curiosity, and generosity that defined both his work and character.
Brendan’s ideas continue to resonate across scholarship and practice. As a thinker who placed imagination at the heart of strategy, Brendan leaves a lasting legacy that will shape Australian strategic thought for years to come.
Watch the recording here.
Strategic Imagination is published by ANU Press, an open-access publisher with outputs freely available to download. Hard copies can also be purchased at a 20% discount using the code SIBL20 at checkout until 30 November: https://press.anu.edu.au/publications/strategic-imagination