30 September 2025

This September, the United States Studies Centre (USSC) hosted our largest conference yet. Our Sydney International Strategy Forum (SISF) packed the ballroom at the Four Seasons and we heard from 27 speakers across six panel discussions and five keynote addresses and fireside conversations. Hot off the heels of his National Press Club address and meetings with government ministers, former US Deputy Secretary of State Dr Kurt Campbell opened the forum and set the tone for discussions. The day covered what has changed and what has stayed the same in the United States over the past 12 months, before exploring the ramifications for US allies and partners and then focusing on practical solutions for government and business moving forward.

Emerging themes from the discussion included the strategic importance of Australia in influencing both the Indo-Pacific and the United States at the moment (with emphatic support for Australia to "go big" with its engagement with the United States), optimism that the US-India relationship will improve, indications the business community is weathering tariffs and an emphasis on the importance of critical minerals and AI for strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. If you missed the forum, stay tuned to our YouTube channel, where we will post videos from the day.

But SISF has been far from our only activity this month. We also held a 1.5 track dialogue on AUKUS innovation, a professional learning workshop with high school teachers on using AI and innovative research techniques in the classroom, our annual student prize night and this morning we are hosted an “Emerging women in space” event on the sidelines of the International Astronomical Congress, hosted by Sydney this year.

Our researchers and academic team produced six major reports this month, covering everything from an Indian Ocean roadmap for Australia to public opinion polling on space. In all of this, we continue to see sustained interest in the US impact on the Indo-Pacific region, as well as a significant focus on opportunities to continue to work with the United States in areas like AI, critical minerals and space. Our annual Allies and Partners poll will launch later this year and in it, we take a deeper dive into public sentiment on these issues in Australia, Japan, the United States and – for the first time – India. If you want to be one of the first to receive our polling results, make sure to subscribe to our research alerts here.

As Australia gears up for Prime Minister Albanese’s visit with President Trump next month, USSC will continue to share insights from both Washington and Canberra and what they mean for you.

News

Sydney International Strategy Forum 2025: Navigating disruption

On 17 September, USSC hosted our third annual Sydney International Strategy Forum, featuring a wide range of distinguished speakers including Dr Kurt Campbell, Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper, Wada Yoshiaki, Bilahari Kausikan, General David Berger (Ret'd), Dr Kori Schake and many more. Speakers looked at the state of play in the Indo-Pacific during President Trump's second term, what to expect moving forward and how US allies and partners can shore up their collective economic and traditional security. The forum was featured in Bloomberg, The Australian, The Australian Financial Review and the Sydney Morning Herald.

Student Prize Night 2025

We held our annual Student Prize Night on the 25^th, with current students, alumni and USSC staff. Academic Director Rodney Taveira handed out awards to high-performing American Studies students and there were lucky draw prizes, good food and fun for all. It was an enjoyable night celebrating another exceptional cohort of American Studies students.

AUKUS innovation track 1.5 dialogue

This month, we held an AUKUS Innovation 1.5 track dialogue in Canberra. Chargée d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Canberra Erika Olson and First Assistant Secretary for AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Stephen Moore delivered keynote remarks. The event, AUKUS Innovation: Trilateral Partnerships for a New Strategic Age, brought together around 30 senior academics, Group of Eight university executives, and government officials. The discussions focused on Australia’s research landscape and explored opportunities and impediments to advance trilateral defence-related R&D under Pillar II. This event was held with support from the US State Department as part of a research initiative seeking to assess and unlock universities’ value proposition to contribute to PII. It is the counterpart of two other Track 1.5 held in London (September 2024) and Washington (May 2025) respectively.

Women in the Alliance workshop

The 2025 Women in the Alliance cohort had their third workshop this month and looked at Australia-US equities in the Indo-Pacific. Guest speakers included Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Center for a New American Security Lisa Curtis, CEO of the Development Intelligence Lab Bridi Rice and former Assistant Secretary and Principal Specialist on Gender Equality at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Sarah Goulding. Over the course of the day, the group discussed the Quad and US policy in South and Central Asia; Australian and US development policy; and gender equality and foreign policy.

AI and digital policy for secondary teachers

We held a workshop with high-school teachers titled “Teaching the future: AI, digital policy and the social sciences” where we welcomed teachers to explore how big questions in technology, politics and society can be brought into the classroom. Director of Strategic Technologies Olivia Shen spoke about AI and digital policy and breakout groups workshopped ideas with Dr Kathryn Robison on space exploration and policy and Associate Professor David Smith on identity and social cohesion in the United States.

Trilateral strategy simulation 2025

Immediately following SISF 2025, USSC convened groups of experts from the United States, Australia and Japan to run a two-day trilateral strategy simulation. The scenario investigated options for coordinated trilateral Australia-Japan-US responses to strategic crises in the Indo-Pacific. It involved exposing senior thought leaders and policy experts from all three countries to a simulated Indo-Pacific crisis and then observing how they coordinated their diplomatic, economic and military policies to resolve it. The findings from this year's simulation will be published in an upcoming outcomes report.

Special event on the sidelines of the International Astronautical Congress

This morning, USSC hosted Emerging voices: Women building the future of space. Women in the space sector from around the world, in town for the International Astronautical Congress, came together for an intimate forum that spotlighted rising female leaders from emerging space nations as they shared bold initiatives shaping their regional space ecosystems. Many of their journeys have brought them to the United States and its allies as they pursue their careers in the space sector and help give back to and build up their communities at home.

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University of Sydney NSW 2006