William Leben

Senior Analyst

William Leben

At the Lab, our Senior Analyst is a strategic thinker with a background in defence, climate change and security. Will brings together a broad and eclectic set of interests and as it turns out, this silo breaking is a perfect fit for the Lab. When he's not working at the Lab, you’ll find Will hiking or swimming.

In a previous life, Will was an analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and served as an Australian Army officer, including on operations overseas. He is also currently an Expert Associate at the ANU's National Security College, and an aspiring author of fiction.

Over the years, Will has honed his analytic skills by completing an MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford as a John Monash Foundation Scholar. He also brings strong planning and facilitation capability, nurtured in his roles as a military officer.

Areas of Expertise

  • Climate change impacts in Australia's region
  • Holistic Australian strategic policy
  • Organisational planning and leadership

Recent Commentary

Defence spending must lift, but cutting aid will do more harm than good
March 2025
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The Australian
Defence spending must lift, but cutting aid will do more harm than good
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2025: What are you watching?
February 2025
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The Intel
2025: What are you watching?
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Things I was wrong about
January 2025
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Australian Strategic Policy Institute
Things I was wrong about
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50 years later, are we any wiser? Australia’s search for regional security
January 2025
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The Interpreter
50 years later, are we any wiser? Australia’s search for regional security
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Balancing the books on Australian statecraft
November 2024
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The Interpreter
Balancing the books on Australian statecraft
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Balancing Act: 25 years of Australian international Budgets
November 2024
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Our Analysis
Balancing Act: 25 years of Australian international Budgets
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