NEWS WRAP

Oath Keepers founder guilty over Capitol attack

• Oath Keepers founder guilty of Jan 6 seditious conspiracy | A federal jury on Tuesday convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes of seditious conspiracy for leading a months-long plot to unleash political violence to prevent the inauguration of President Biden, culminating in the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. READ MORE HERE
   

• US criticises China’s zero Covid strategy | Top US health officials said China’s zero COVID strategy was not an effective way to control the virus, and Beijing should focus on vaccinating the elderly. The White House, in a statement, said the Chinese people have the right to protest peacefully. READ MORE HERE
   

• Soccer world cup: US advances to knockout round with 1-0 victory over Iran | The US managed to fend off Iran to progress into the knockout tournament in a 1-0 win that is also seen as a symbolic political win. This follows Iran's call for the US team to be kicked out after the US Soccer Federation shared an altered version of the Iranian flag. READ MORE HERE
   

• Houston lifts boil water notice | Schools were closed in the United States' fourth largest city after a power outage at a water treatment plant led to contaminated drinking water and a boil water notice. After two days, the notice was lifted and investigators are looking into the cause of the issue. READ MORE HERE
   

• Record early voting in Georgia Senate seat runoff | Reports on Monday’s turnout varied from 250,000 voters to more than 300,000 on the first day of statewide early operation of the polls. READ MORE HERE 

WEBINAR

Many hands: Australia-US contributions to Southeast Asian maritime security resilience

The United States Studies Centre invites you to the launch of the latest report by the Foreign Policy and Defence Program, titled Many Hands: Australia-US contributions to Southeast Asian maritime security resilience. While Australia and the United States already pursue a range of security cooperation activities in Southeast Asia, this report examines how they can work together with Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam to resist maritime coercion in the South China Sea.

To discuss the report's key findings, please join the USSC webinar featuring the authors: Andi Supriyanto (Universitas Indonesia), Professor Renato Cruz De Castro (De La Salle University), Dr Collin Koh (RSIS, Nanyang Technological University) and Dr Lan-Anh Nguyen (Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam), in conversation with USSC Research Fellow Dr Peter K. Lee.

WHEN
SYDNEY | Wednesday, 7 December | 6-7pm AEDT

COST
Free, but registration is essential

ANALYSIS

Renewing the social license for US forces in Australia

Dr Peter K. Lee, Research Fellow, United States Studies Centre

This month marks 11 years since Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US President Barack Obama announced the ‘United States Force Posture Initiatives (USFPI)’. The rapid pace of China’s military modernisation and long-range strike capabilities, as well as a lack of firm military access points throughout the Indo-Pacific outside of Japan and South Korea, has seen renewed US interest in Australia’s Top End. The late scholar Desmond Ball once described Australia as a “suitable piece of real estate” for US global strategy, but how politically sustainable is the US military presence in Australia? As Australia deepens its alliance with the United States in unprecedented ways, it is worth asking what the Australian public will, and will not, support.

The USFPI are an enhancement of Australia’s alliance with the United States that encompass a range of bilateral defence cooperation activities but are best known to the public through the US Marines in Darwin. The first of the Initiatives sees up to 2,500 US Marines visit the Northern Territory each year during the Top End’s dry season from March to October as part of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D). During their stay, MRF-D trains with Australian troops to respond to humanitarian crises and natural disasters and also conducts military exercises with our regional partners.

This is an excerpt from Renewing the social license for US forces in Australia first published on 24 November, 2022.

BY THE NUMBERS

Ukrainian use of Western-supplied artillery munitions far outstrips US production

The United States and NATO have supplied Ukraine with vast amounts of military aid in the country's fight against invading Russian Federation forces. But a recent analysis reveals that Ukrainian artillery forces in the Donbas are using up Western-supplied artillery ammunition at a far faster pace than the United States can produce them. Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region in the country's East are using up to 7,000 shells a day. The United States currently only produces around 500 shells a day. The conflict, which started in February, has sparked a scramble by Western powers - particularly the United States - to track down suitable weapons systems with which to better equip Ukraine's military. 

VIDEO

A US-Australian agenda for climate change after the midterms

To discuss the impacts of the midterm elections on US climate change policy, USSC hosted an event featuring Meg McDonald, a former senior diplomat now a board member of the NSW Net Zero Emissions and Clean Economy Board, the Foreign Investment Review Board and Environment Commissioner, Greater Cities Commission and Lachlan Carey, a former Australian Treasury official and senior associate at the Colorado-based RMI, where he leads work on US regional economic development through clean energy investment. They joined USSC CEO Dr Michael Green to discuss these issues.

Catch more podcast and video analysis on the United States here.

THE WEEK IN TWEETS

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