Major Coltheart is currently studying a Master of Public Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) at Columbia University. As someone who served for 13 years in the military, including at war, Major Coltheart intends to use his study to build his conceptual understanding of conflict and increase his knowledge of functional and regional security issues. His goal is to pursue a career in international security policy where he will use the skills gained to influence international security policy and ensure that the nation’s ‘blood and treasure’ are used wisely, for example as a Policy Advisor within the United Nations Peacekeeping Group or Department of Political Affairs, before returning to Australia. His current research interests include the rules-based global order, the utility of force as an instrument of policy and contemporary conflict.