John Charles Blaxland (born 1963) is an Australian historian, academic, and former Australian Army officer. He is a Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. He is also currently Director of the Australian National University's North America Liaison Office in Washington, D.C.
Blaxland was born in Chile in 1963 and attended school at Barker College, Sydney. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1986 and was commissioned as a Lieutenant into the Australian Army's Intelligence Corps. In 1987, he completed his Honours thesis in History at the Australian Defence Force Academy. He completed his regimental training with the Royal Australian Corps of Signals during which he wrote Signals â Swift and Sure: A History of the Royal Australian Army Corps of Signals 1947âÂÂ1972.
Blaxland graduated from the Royal Thai Army Command and Staff College in 1997. He was a member of the International Force East Timor in 1999. He was posted as an exchange officer at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington D.C. and was awarded a U.S. Meritorious Service Medal for his contribution. He was director of joint intelligence operations at Headquarters Joint Operations Command. He was AustraliaâÂÂs Defence Attaché to Thailand and Myanmar from 2008 to 2010. He retired from the Australian Army in 2011 at the rank of Colonel.
Blaxland holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales, a Master of Arts in History from the Australian National University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.
Blaxland is a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs. In 2015 he was the first Australian recipient of a U.S. Department of Defense's Minerva Research Initiative grant.
In 2018 Blaxland won the U.S. Association of Former Intelligence Officers Best Foreign Intelligence Book Award along with Dr. Rhys Crawley for The Secret Cold War: The Official History of ASIO, Vol. III, 1975âÂÂ1989.
Blaxland was selected in July 2019 to lead an Australian National University team responsible for writing the official history of the Australian Signals Directorate. He stepped down from leading the ANU's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre in order to work on the official history. ASD Director-General Rachel Noble cancelled the ANU's contract in August or September 2020. At this time, Blaxland was reported to have completed half of the first of two planned volumes. Both ASD and the ANU stated that the contract was cancelled by mutual agreement. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Noble's decision was motivated by a desire to exercise greater control over the official history project.
Blaxland's research interests include Australian military history and strategy, public policy, security, defence, international relations, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Myanmar, East Timor), North America (Canada) and military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Blaxland proposed a new flag design for Australia in 2013.
Blaxland's publications include: