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USSC Briefing Room: Daily Summaries Delivered
by United States Studies Centre
The USSC Briefing Room is a podcast from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. It gives you a seat at the table for a briefing on the latest US news and foreign policy. Co-hosts Mari Koeck, Jared Mondschein and Samuel Garrett talk to experts to cover what you need to know and what's beneath the surface of the news.
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday27 min
What next for the AI race?
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.
- 1 weeks ago50 min
Will the largest US defence budget clear Congress?
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 BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- 3 weeks ago36 min
Signals, not spectacle: Dr Michael Green on Takaichi’s visit to Australia
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 ChannerA partnership for the AJUS: Operationalising Australia-Japan-United States defence cooperation by Tom Corben, Christopher Johnstone, Prof. Peter Dean and Prof. Tetsuo KotaniThe Japan opportunity for Australia by Dr Michael GreenDeveloping a shared Australia–Japan agenda for economic security by Tom Barrett, Hayley Channer, Samuel Garrett and Sahara HoffOperationalising 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 TakadaHow Takaichi can triumph — and what others can learn from Japan’s embrace of American power by Dr Michael GreenUS-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 MatsuAJUSINT: 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 BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Apr 29, 202643 min
Trump vs the Pope: Politics, faith and power
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 BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Apr 21, 202630 min
Is there space for Australia in outer space?
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 21st century space race? What are the opportunities and challenges in outer space? And why does anything that happens up there even matter down here on Earth? Space expert Dr Kathryn Robison, Lecturer in American Studies at the United States Studies Centre and Senior Research Fellow at the Australasian Centre for Space Governance, joined USSC Senior Research Associate Samuel Garrett on the USSC Briefing Room to answer these questions.Recommended reading:Harnessing Australia’s space strengths for the Alliance by Dr Kathryn Robison and Isobel Haddow
- Apr 8, 202657 min
The state of play for Australia-Taiwan relations
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 at the United States Studies Centre, and Professor Bec Strating, Director at the La Trobe Centre for Global Security, joined the USSC Briefing Room to discuss these questions. Along with other Australian security experts, Professor Dean and Professor Strating co-authored a new report in February: Australia-Taiwan relations: Policy options and priorities for engagement.Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Mar 24, 202630 min
The future of nuclear risk: Iran, China and the end of New START
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 issues. Daniel is Senior Fellow for Nuclear Arms Control, Non-Proliferation and Disarmament at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the author of Secrecy, Public Relations and the British Nuclear Debate: How the UK Government Learned to Talk about the Bomb, 1970-1983. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat
- Mar 8, 202650 min
Convenience, choice or necessity? Examining the case for striking Iran
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 experience in the White House during the Iraq War and Jared addresses broader Middle East dynamics to unpack this issue and what it means for US allies and partners.
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About USSC Briefing Room
The USSC Briefing Room is a podcast from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. It gives you a seat at the table for a briefing on the latest US news and foreign policy. Co-hosts Mari Koeck, Jared Mondschein and Samuel Garrett talk to experts to cover what you need to know and what's beneath the surface of the news.
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