Peter is a Director of Strategic Analysis Australia and the Principal of Peter Jennings Strategy Consultants Pty Ltd, providing strategic advice to several Australian and international businesses and to Commonwealth agencies. He is also a columnist for The Australian newspaper.

Peter was the executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) for a decade between 2012 and 2022.  He worked in senior roles in the Australian Public Service on defence and national security, including being Deputy Secretary for Strategy in the Defence Department (2009-12); Chief of Staff to the Minister for Defence (1996-98) and Senior Adviser for Strategic Policy to the Prime Minister (2002-03).

From 2014 to 2016 Peter was appointed to lead an expert panel on the 2016 Defence White Paper. He was a member of the Australia-Germany Advisory Group and a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Advisory Group on Australia-Africa Relations.

Peter has a Masters degree in Management from London Business School (2000–2001), a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Australian National University (1987) and a BA (Honours) in History from the University of Tasmania (1980–1984). He was a Fulbright Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1985).
In January 2023 Peter was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for “distinguished service to the development of strategic and international policy, and to public affairs.”

He was awarded the Public Service Medal in the Australia Day 2013 Honours list and the French decoration of Knight in the Order of Legion of Honour in 2016. In 2021 he was awarded a Commendation by the Foreign Minister of Japan for services to the bilateral relationship.