30 May 2025

The start of the second hundred days of President Trump’s second term has shown no slowing in the pace of his actions, and the United States Studies Centre (USSC) has had a similarly active month. May was a month of convening for the USSC with two visiting fellows and a range of workshops, dialogues, roundtables and public events covering topics including Indo-Pacific economic security, AI, space security and President Trump’s approach to the US Constitution.

USSC also published three major reports this month looking at AUKUS, extended nuclear deterrence and Australia-Korea collaboration. As alliances around the world are changing, many US allies and partners are looking for opportunities to work together in new and deeper ways. At the USSC, we have seen a significant shift in the proportion of our engagement with partners in the region. To better highlight this emerging theme across the USSC, we have launched our Engagement in the Indo-Pacific hub, so you can see all of our work in the region in one spot.

Our annual Sydney International Strategy Forum will also advance this theme with a range of international speakers to be announced soon. Early bird tickets are about to go on sale so make sure you subscribe to USSC event invitations so you will be the first to know.

News

AUKUS innovation track 1.5 dialogue in DC

The Foreign Policy and Defence team hosted a track 1.5 dialogue on AUKUS innovation in Washington, DC this month. This included three roundtable discussions exploring the permissibility of the US research environment to progress AUKUS Pillar II; models for research and development in support of defence-relevant R&D; and opportunities to optimise international research collaboration for AUKUS Pillar II. This is part of a broader project at the USSC, seeking to assess the value proposition of university-led R&D to AUKUS advanced capabilities.

USSC hosts Ambassador Kurt Tong as visiting fellow

The back and forth on President Trump’s tariffs have caused tremendous uncertainty in the global market. To help understand both the impact of these tariffs and how countries in the Indo-Pacific can navigate these challenges, USSC hosted Ambassador Kurt Tong as a visiting fellow. Ambassador Tong is a leading expert in diplomacy and economic affairs in East Asia and brings 30 years of experience in the US Department of State as a career Foreign Service Officer and member of the Senior Foreign Service. During his time with USSC we hosted a roundtable on Australia-Japan-US economic cooperation and had a full house at his public event: Trump's tariffs and the future of the global order.

Track 1.5 dialogue looks at the future of AI

In a follow-up from last year’s Economic Security Conference, the USSC hosted a track 1.5 AI dialogue: Aligning security and economic interests in the age of AI. Across five sessions, the dialogue looked at the risks and opportunities of AI; national security and intelligence enterprise; and the role for Australia and other allies and partners in the rise of AI. The dialogue featured a range of experts including former NSC Deputy Assistant to the President and Coordinator for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra; Department of Industry, Science and Resources Secretary Meghan Quinn PSM, Korean Ministry of Science and ICT National Information Society Agency President Jong-Sung Hwang; and Singapore Ministry of Digital Development and Information Permanent Secretary Joseph Leong.

Law professor analyses President Trump and the US Constitution

At the start of the month, USSC hosted Professor Laura E. Little, the James G. Schmidt Professor of Law at Temple University Law School in Philadelphia for The Trump administration and the US Constitution, 100 days in. Her talk surveyed some of the many constitutional issues arising from the Trump administration’s actions since the President took office in January 2025. In her discussion with Senior Lecturer in American Studies at the United States Studies Centre, Rodney Taveira and Professor Little touched on immigration policies, the pardon power, and challenges to due process, freedom of speech, tariff power, and the authority of Congress and the courts.

Book launch for USSC Senior Lecturer Dr Kathryn Schumaker

USSC was excited to celebrate the latest book published by one of our experts. We hosted a book launch for Senior Lecturer Dr Kathryn Schumaker’s new book, Tangled Fortunes: The Hidden History of Interracial Marriage in the Jim Crow South. Dr Schumaker was joined by scholars Dr Michael Green, Associate Professor Frances Clarke, and Dr Aaron Nyerges to discuss the themes of the book. Dr Schumaker is a historian and the book takes an in-depth look at the rise and fall of racial segregation in the United States from the perspectives of ordinary people whose primary goal was to keep their families together in the face of great difficulty.

Read the Wall Street Journal review of Tangled Fortunes.

JADE Fellowship applications closing soon

The USSC and Japan Foundation are seeking applicants for the 2025 JADE Program fellowships.

The JADE Program seeks to contribute to the development of the intellectual infrastructure between Japan and Australia. The program leverages the Japan Foundation’s historical commitment to fostering intellectual exchanges with the global community, in combination with the United States Studies Centre’s deep policy expertise and regional networks. Fellows participate in immersive field trips to Japan or Australia, respectively, engaging with key government, industry and academic stakeholders to deepen their understanding of each country’s strategic policy and culture. Throughout the program, participants are mentored by senior USSC experts including Dr Michael J. Green, CEO of the USSC and Professor Peter Dean, Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Program. Fellows also work closely with Tom Corben, Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program, to produce policy-relevant publications on their areas of research interest.

Applications close at 12pm on 11 June 2025.

Economic security 1.5 track dialogue and public event

US tariffs, China’s trade coercion and market dominance, and other economic security challenges are putting pressure on Australia and Japan’s public and private sectors. This month, USSC brought together international leaders for a 1.5 track dialogue looking at how Australia and Japan can navigate and shape the evolving global order. This was followed by a public event, Global economy in turmoil: Can Australia and Japan shape the new economic world order?, featuring: Director and Group Head, Economic Security, Institute of Geoeconomics Kazuto Suzuki; Partner and CEO for Asia Pacific, Brunswick Group Michaela Browning; and Associate Director, Advisory and Insights, Asialink Business Danielle Rajendram in conversation with USSC Director of Economic Security Hayley Channer.

USSC hosts space expert Audrey Schaffer as visiting fellow

Internationally recognised expert in space policy and former National Security Council Director for Space Policy Audrey Schaffer spent a week with USSC as a visiting fellow. During that week, she held workshops with the Women in the Alliance and NextGen networks and she joined a public event with Deputy Director and Chief Investigator of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space Professor Melissa de Zwart and Director of Vignelles Space and former Chief Technology Officer of the Australian Space Agency Aude Vignelles, as well as a webinar with USSC Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Robison. Her visit focused on the nexus of space and national security and looked at key questions around the militarisation of space and how to safeguard critical space infrastructure.

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