Robert J. O'Neill

Robert O'Neill
Native name	Robert John O'Neill
Born	6 November 1936 Melbourne, Victoria
Awards	Rhodes Scholarship (1961) Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (1978) Officer of the Order of Australia (1988) Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (2008)
Academic background
Alma mater	University of Melbourne (BE) University of Oxford (MA, DPhil)
Thesis title	The relationship between the German Army and the Nazi Party, 1933–9
Thesis year	1965
Doctoral advisor	N. H. Gibbs
Academic work
Institutions	University of Oxford (1987–01) International Institute for Strategic Studies (1982–87) Australian National University (1969–82) Royal Military College, Duntroon (1968–69)
Doctoral students	David Horner
Main interests	Military history Strategic studies
Notable works	Australia in the Korean War 1950–53

Robert John O'Neill AO, FASSA (born 5 November 1936) is Chair of the International Academic Advisory Committee at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, was director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, based in London, 1982–1987, and Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford from 1987 to 2000.

Early life and education

O'Neill graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 1958,^[1] and from 1958 to 1969, served as an officer in the Regular Australian Army, during which time as an infantry captain he was Mentioned in Despatches during the Vietnam War.^[2] In 1965, he completed his D.Phil. thesis at the University of Oxford on The relationship between the German Army and the Nazi Party, 1933–9 under the direction of one of his predecessors as Chichele Professor of the History of War, Professor N. H. Gibbs.

Academic career

O'Neill served as Senior lecturer in History, Royal Military College, Duntroon, 1968–69. He was head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University in 1971–82, Senior Fellow in international Relations, 1969–1977, Professorial Fellow, 1977–1982. Australian official historian of the Korean War from 1970 until 1982, director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (1982–87), and Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford (1987–2001).

He was the founding Chairman of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (2000–05). He was Chair of the International Academic Advisory Committee at the United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney (2008–11). He was Chairman of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum, London, 1998–2001 (Trustee 1990–98). He was Chairman of the Council of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1996–2001 (council member 1977–82, 1992–96).

Awards

• Officer of the Order of Australia, in the Australia Day Honours of 1988.^[3]
• Centenary Medal, in 2001.^[4]
• Fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
• Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.
• Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, Australia

Published works

• The German Army and the Nazi Party, 1933–1939, by O'Neill; foreword by Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart. (1966)
• Vietnam task; the 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, 1966/67 (1968)
• General Giap; politician and strategist (1969)
• The strategy of General Giap since 1964 (1969)
• The Army in Papua-New Guinea: current role and implications for independence (1972)
• Australia's defence capacity: a compendium of data by O'Neill and Robyn McLean (1972)
• The strategic nuclear balance: an Australian perspective, edited by O'Neill (1975)
• The Defence of Australia: fundamental new aspects, the proceedings of a conference organized by the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, The Australian National University, October 1976, edited by O'Neill (1976)
• A select bibliography of Australian military history, 1891–1939 compiled by O'Neill and Jean Fielding (1978)
• Australia in the Korean War 1950–53 (1981–85)
• New directions in strategic thinking, edited by O'Neill and D.M. Horner (1981)
• Security in East Asia, edited by O'Neill (1984)
• Australia, Britain, and international security : retrospect and prospect (1985)
• The Conduct of East-West relations in the 1980s, edited by O'Neill (1985)
• New technology and western security policy, edited by O'Neill (1985)
• Doctrine, the Alliance and arms control, edited by O'Neill (1986)
• East Asia, the West and international security, edited by O'Neill (1987); ISBN 0-208-02204-X
• Hedley Bull on arms control, selected and introduced by O'Neill and David N. Schwartz (1987)
• Prospects for security in the Mediterranean, edited by O'Neill (1988); ISBN 0-208-02233-3
• Alliances and international order: an inaugural lecture delivered before the University of Oxford on 20 November 1987 (1988)
• The West and the Third World: essays in honour of J.D.B. Miller, edited by O'Neill and R.J. Vincent (1990); ISBN 0-333-43652-0
• Peace and global interdependence: are they compatible?: a lecture delivered at St. Antony's College, Oxford on 25 October 1989 (1990); ISBN 1-871191-22-X
• Securing peace in Europe, 1945–62: thoughts for the post–Cold War era, edited by O'Neill and Beatrice Heuser (1992); ISBN 0-312-06217-6
• War, strategy, and international politics: essays in honour of Sir Michael Howard edited by O'Neill, Lawrence Freedman and Paul Hayes (1992); ISBN 0-19-822292-0
• Oxford University's links with Canada: a memorandum by O'Neill and Adam Roberts
• Alternative nuclear futures: the role of nuclear weapons in the post–cold war world, edited by O'Neill and John Baylis (2000); ISBN 0-19-829624-X

References

1. From the Branches, Duntroon Society Newsletter, April 2010.
2. Vietnam War Nominal Roll
3. It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia
4. It's an Honour – Centenary Medal

External links

• Transcript of an interview with Robert O'Neill at The Australians at War Film Archive
• United States Studies Centre