Jennifer Parker is the principal and founder of Barrier Strategic Advisory. Having served for over two decades in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as a warfare officer, she holds a number of university and think tank affiliations, including Adjunct Professor of Practice at the University of Western Australia Defence and Security Institute, Non-Resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute, Expert Associate at the National Security College at the Australian National University, and Adjunct Fellow in naval studies at the University of New South Wales Canberra. Jennifer is also an International Fellow at the London-based Council on Geostrategy.

Published in major Australian newspapers, Jennifer is regularly featured across Australian and international print, digital, radio and television media, including the ABC, BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky News Australia, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

During her time in the RAN Jennifer specialised as a Principal Warfare Officer, including undertaking deep specialist training with the Royal Navy in Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer. Jennifer has extensive operational experience from the Middle East to the Caribbean, and most areas in between. She has undertaken a series of naval appointments nationally and internationally in areas including force design strategy, career management, international exercise planning and operations. That included service as an exchange officer with the Royal Navy and as second in command of HMAS Darwin, one of the Royal Australian Navy's guided missile frigates.

Jennifer’s last appointment in the RAN was as Director of Operations in Bahrain of the Combined Maritime Forces, a 47-nation coalition promoting maritime security in the Middle East and Indian Ocean region.