Emily Hitchman

Ms Emily Hitchman

Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) (ANU)
Sir Roland Wilson Scholar and PhD Scholar

Emily is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre. Her doctoral research focusses on the use of the Glomar (‘neither confirm nor deny’) response in the national security context. Emily has worked across multiple portfolios in the criminal justice and national security policy spaces. In these roles, Emily has advised government on cross-cutting issues such as criminal intelligence, domestic violence, aviation and maritime security, and press freedom. She has also represented Australian cyber policy internationally as part of the delegation negotiating an additional protocol to the Budapest Convention on cybercrime. Emily’s research examines the strategic function of the Neither Confirm Nor Deny principle, and how its use in the security and intelligence context has evolved in Australia. In so doing, Emily’s research will develop a conceptual understanding of the Neither Confirm Nor Deny principle to support an analysis of how official secrecy can be navigated in the contemporary security context. Emily has appeared on the National Security Podcast examining secret statecraft (June 2022), and as a panel member speaking about the future of intelligence as part of the Australian Crisis Simulation Summit (December 2022). In addition to her doctoral research, Emily is Research Officer on the Defence Strategic Policy Grant project 'Anticipating the Future of War: AI, Automated Systems, and Resort-to-Force Decision Making', led by Professor Toni Erskine. Emily holds a Bachelor of Philosophy from the ANU, and was awarded First Class Honours for her research re-examining the cultural inheritance of contemporary metaphysical discourse.

Research Interest

Emily's main research interest is Australian intelligence and security policy and frameworks, and how these have evolved to meet changing security environments. Emily particularly focuses on how official secrecy surrounding national security has been navigated in Australia historically, including in the context of security alliances.

HDR Supervisor/s

John Blaxland Jean Bou Dominique Dalla-Pozza Sue Thompson

Thesis Title/Topic

Credible Secrecy: 'Neither Confirm Nor Deny,' National Security, and Australia's Liberal Democracy

Expertise Area(s)

Intelligence and Security Studies
Australian Government and Politics
Liberal Democratic Statecraft

Contact Email

emily.hitchman@anu.edu.au