USSC Briefing Room

As America votes in one of the most significant midterm elections in modern history, USSC Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith and USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck give you a coast-to-coast guide for what to watch in the election results in key states. What races will decide the elections? How much can we trust the polls? Will the redistricting wars backfire on Republicans? Tune in to follow along on election day to get an indication of whether Democrats or Republicans will control the House and Senate. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Australia’s strategic environment is undergoing a profound shift. China’s rapid military and nuclear expansion is changing the regional balance of power, while the prospect of major-power conflict in the Indo-Pacific appears increasingly plausible. At the same time, questions are being raised about the future reliability of the United States as Australia’s principal strategic ally against the backdrop of the second Trump administration’s more transactional approach to global alliances. How should Australia respond? How should it prepare for a more capable and assertive China that is increasingly coordinating with other adversarial powers, while also mitigating greater unpredictability in Washington? And what does all this mean for the future of the US-Australia alliance? To unpack these questions, USSC's Director of the Foreign Policy and Defence Program, Dr Lavina Lee, was joined by Emeritus Professor of strategic studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific, Paul Dibb. Paul previously held positions as the Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence in the Department of Defence, Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation, and Head of the National Assessments Staff in the National Intelligence. He wrote the 1986 Review of Australia’s Defence Capabilities (commonly known as the Dibb Report) and was the primary author of the 1987 Defence White Paper. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

The US midterm elections in just a couple of weeks will be the first real test of how Trump 2.0 is playing out with voters. In the lead up to the election, USSC recorded a special discussion between Dr Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe for a live event. What are the key races to watch? How will Trump’s approval ratings impact the results? Could the polls all be wrong again? Larry and Bruce discuss these questions and everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 midterms. The full video with slides is available on our YouTube channel and follow Sabato’s Crystal Ball for updated predictions. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Eleven years since the Pentagon established the Defense Innovation Unit, that office has become a key instrument to rapidly test, prototype and scale promising technology to meet urgent demands. Amidst intense technological competition with China, including many with military applications like AI, hypersonics, quantum, and others – how is the United States seeking to get ahead or even catch-up in key areas of technological advantage? How can governments work more effectively with the commercial sector to drive defence innovation and the adoption of new technologies? And what role is there for US allies and partners in supporting the Pentagon’s innovation goals? Former Director of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Doug Beck joined the podcast to discuss these questions. Prior to his role with DIU, he spent 13 years reporting directly to Tim Cook at Apple. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

One of the prominent refrains of the second Trump administration has been, “move fast and break things.” The administration has moved extraordinarily quickly to implement changes across all of government, even the complex world of defence, from procurement to the battlefield. What defence changes are the Trump administration tackling in a new way? What are the risks of the move fast and break things approach? How are US defence industries responding? Bill Lynn joined the podcast to discuss these questions. Bill was CEO of Leonardo DRS and former US Deputy Secretary of Defense during the Obama administration, in addition to multiple roles in the Pentagon and defence industry stretching over three decades. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Today marks five years since US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson held a joint virtual press conference to make one of the biggest defence announcements in Australia’s history: AUKUS. Since then, all three countries have changed government and we have seen the geopolitical climate change drastically. What is the significance of AUKUS? Why do all three countries want to be involved? And, five years later, is it still full steam ahead on AUKUS? USSC Senior Adviser for Defence Strategy Prof. Peter Dean and American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Dr Zack Cooper joined the podcast to discuss these questions. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Balancing the supply and demand of US military sales and procurement is never easy, but amidst the fighting with Iran and the ongoing war in Ukraine, that calculous is incredibly tight. What is the current state of play for US military sales and acquisition? How is this changing under President Trump? What does this mean for US allies and partners? Former US Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Cara Abercrombie joined the podcast to discuss these questions and what they mean for the future of US defence procurement. Cara recently visited Australia as part of the Women in the Alliance program. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Today marks 106 years since women were granted the right to vote in the United States, with the ratification of the 19th amendment. The journey towards voting equality is a complicated part of America’s history. While the Declaration of Independence declares equality for all, the battle for voting equality stretched long past the revolution. What was the founders’ understanding of women’s rights? How did the womens and anti-slavery movements converge or diverge in American history? How does the Declaration of Sentiments compare with the Declaration of Independence? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the sixth and final episode in the series we are speaking with Lecturer in American Studies Dr Katy Schumaker to discuss her article: The Declaration of Independence and the women's and anti-slavery movements . Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Australia has long had a fascination with US politics, but now US news outlet POLITICO is bringing Australian politics to the US and the world. How similar are the MAGA and One Nation movements? What is something Americans should know about Australian politics at the moment? And why come to Canberra? Launch Editor of POLITICO’S Canberra Playbook Ryan Heath joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

This year marks 20 years since the establishment of the United States Studies Centre (USSC), which has since welcomed more than 20,000 students and has grown to become one of Australia’s largest think tanks and one of the largest American Studies institutions globally. What was the original purpose for establishing the USSC? Twenty years on, has it fulfilled these objectives? What does the future look like for the USSC? The USSC founding CEO Dr Alan Dupont and current CEO Dr Michael Green joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

America’s independence was a catalyst for the founding of Australia and the pursuit of land that drove the settlement of America continued in new ways after the Revolutionary War. How did the American Revolution remake maps across the globe? What role has the pursuit of land played in America’s founding and beyond? How did this play out in Australia versus America? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the fifth episode in the series we are speaking with Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Aaron Nyerges to discuss his article: 1776 international geographies . Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

When Americans landed on the moon, it was a political statement heard around the world. But the innovation that accelerated the space race didn’t start with the Cold War, it goes back to the founding of America. What was it about the Declaration of Independence that set the trajectory for American innovation? How has the throughline of innovation played out through American history? What does this mean as we look to the next phase of the space race? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the fourth episode in the series we are speaking with Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Robison to discuss her article: American innovation at 250 . Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This line from the Declaration of Independence is known around the world, but how did this sit alongside the existence of slavery? What broader themes should influence our interpretation of the language of the declaration? And how do you address these themes in a classroom setting? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the third episode in the series we are speaking with Academic Director and Senior Lecturer in American Studies Rodney Taveira about his article: The Declaration of Independence in the Australian classroom . Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

The words of the Declaration of Independence are world famous and, in many ways, America’s founding documents are “sacred” although they are secular. What makes America’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution unique? How are Australia’s founding documents different? How have these differences played out in the relationship between these foundational documents and their people? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we are releasing a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the second episode in the series we are speaking with Associate Professor David Smith about his article: America’s sacred documents .

Australia’s history over the past 250 years is inextricably linked with the American experiment. What are the successes and challenges of the US diverse and decentralised governance model? How have US politics influenced Australian politics? Can One Nation become like the MAGA movement under a different political system? In honour of America’s semiquincentennial, the USSC has published a compilations of essays and recent polling: Reflections on America at 250 and we will release a series of podcast episodes with the authors. In the first episode in the series we are speaking with Professor Benjamin Reilly about his article: Australian and American democracy at 250 .

The term “economic security” is having a bit of a moment. While generally unheard of a few years ago, the past three Australian budget speeches have all mentioned economic security and this year, the Australian government announced $38.9 million in funding to increase economic security and resilience and countries around the world are starting to move beyond free trade or investment deals to ink economic security deals. What is economic security? How does it relate to issues like the Iran war and competition with China? What can allies and partners do to bolster their economic security? This year, the United States Studies Centre has joined forces with the UK High Commission to run two track 1.5 workshops on economic security – one in London and one here in Sydney. Olivia O’Sullivan , Chatham House Director of the UK in the World Programme and Hayley Channer , USSC Director of Economic Security joined the USSC Briefing Room podcast to discuss key findings from these closed-door discussions. This podcast was recorded in May, before the UK special election. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

From online chatbots to enormous data centres, it is increasingly difficult to ignore artificial intelligence in our daily lives. Do governments still stand a chance to shape the future of AI development? What could Australia’s data centre boom mean for the nation’s energy grid? Does Australia have a role to play when it comes to the Indo-Pacific’s regional AI capabilities? Director of Strategic Technologies at the United States Studies Centre Olivia Shen , and Research Associate in Strategic Technologies Johanna Lim joined the USSC Briefing Room to answer these questions.

Last month the Trump administration submitted the largest defence budget request in history – US$1.5 trillion, which is a 40% increase from the prior year. At the same time, the administration is seeking to circumvent Congress’ ‘power of the purse’ through various legislative manoeuvres, effectively expanding the powers of the executive branch. What can the budget request tell us about the Trump administration’s defence priorities? How are they changing the balance of powers through the budget process? Are these changes likely to be long-lasting or easily reversable? Research Fellow Tom Corben and Senior Research Associate Esther Soulard recently published an explainer: Trump, Congress and the battle for the defence budget and they sat down with Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

For our 100th episode, USSC CEO Dr Michael Green joins the podcast to discuss Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Australia last week. She and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shared a number of joint statements on economic security, critical minerals, energy security, cyber and defence and security cooperation and announced the Australia-Japan leadership dialogue. However, there was no joint press conference, no speech before parliament, no major interviews and, not surprisingly, far less media coverage than Mark Carney’s visit. Dr Green discusses the purpose of Takaichi’s visit to Australia and where Australia-Japan relations should go next. Dr Green worked in the National Security Council at the White House, and was Senior Vice President for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, alongside his role as Director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. He is a leading expert on Japan and knows Sanae Takaichi personally. Recommended reading: Japan was first mover on economic security. Australia’s now a partner by Hayley Channer A partnership for the AJUS: Operationalising Australia-Japan-United States defence cooperation by Tom Corben, Christopher Johnstone, Prof. Peter Dean and Prof. Tetsuo Kotani The Japan opportunity for Australia by Dr Michael Green Developing a shared Australia–Japan agenda for economic security by Tom Barrett, Hayley Channer, Samuel Garrett and Sahara Hoff Operationalising Japan’s security role in Asia: A survey of experts in Japan, the United States and Australia by Dr Michael Green, Christopher Johnstone, Prof. Peter Dean, Nicholas Szechenyi, Tom Corben and Shizuka Takada How Takaichi can triumph — and what others can learn from Japan’s embrace of American power by Dr Michael Green US-Australia-Japan strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: Testing trilateralism through crisis simulation by Dr Christopher Watterson, Dr Michael Green, Prof. Peter Dean, Prof. Nobukatsu Kanehara, Katsuya Yamamoto, Takuma Matsu AJUSINT: Advancing defence information and intelligence sharing between Australia, Japan and the United States by Tom Corben, Hirohito Ogi, Luke Collin, Carl Herse Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Throughout March and April, Pope Leo XIV began speaking out against the war in Iran and the violence, saying it was an “unjust war.” Shortly after 60 Minutes aired an episode with Catholic officials criticising the war, President Trump started attacking the Pope on social and then shared the now-infamous image of Trump as a Christ-like figure. Why are both the Pope and Donald Trump so focused on speaking out against each other? What is the political fallout of the “Jesus Trump” image? Is this war of words unique or just par for the course? Associate Professor David Smith joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these questions. David teaches American Politics and Foreign Policy at the USSC and is also an expert on the history of religious persecution in America. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and YouTube . Produced by: Elliott Brennan Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat