USSC Briefing Room

From the war with Iran to the end of the New START Treaty, nuclear issues have made regular headlines in 2026, but less attention has focused on the Indo-Pacific region. Yet amidst an unprecedented growth in China’s nuclear stockpile and increased sabre-rattling from the CRINKs (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea), experts point to the threat of a new wave of nuclear proliferation in the Indo-Pac...

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...

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 back...

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 ap...

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 i...

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 th...

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 AUKU...

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 Defe...

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...

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 Impac...

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 futur...

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 semiq...

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 th...

“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 semiquincentennia...

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 o...

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 compila...

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 e...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

Space exploration has recaptured the public imagination. The successful Artemis II mission to the Moon heralds a new era of human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since the 1970s. The United States, China and other global space powers are now racing to return to the Moon and beyond. But what role could Australia play in this 21 st century space race? What are the opportunities...

Amid rising global tensions, Taiwan continues to be a regional flashpoint in the Indo-Pacific. What is the current state of Australia-Taiwan relations? What challenges does Taiwan face in a new security era? How should regional allies and partners engage with Taiwan on its own terms — and what could this mean for China’s grand strategy?   Professor Peter Dean , Senior Advisor for Defence Strategy...

From the expiration of the New START Treaty to the war with Iran, headlines about nuclear risks are consistently in the news at the moment. How significant is the expiration of the New START Treaty? How have nuclear risks changed since the war with Iran began? What are the major nuclear threats facing the world at the moment?   Dr Daniel Salisbury joined the USSC Briefing Room to discuss these iss...

In this episode USSC CEO Dr Michael Green and USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein sat down with USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on Friday, 6 March 2026 to discuss the latest on the war with Iran.   What led the United States to attack Iran now? How does this compare to the Iraq War and actions of prior administrations? How are US allies responding?   Mike draws on his expe...