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-Pacific. What is driving this trend towards nuclear proliferation? How is AUKUS impacting nuclear tensions in the region? What role should Australia play in shaping and driving outcomes around nuclear proliferation? ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Professor Stephan Frühling and University of Melbourne Professor of International Relations Maria Rublee joined USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these issues. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic 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 BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat