USSC Briefing Room

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

On 2 April 2025, President Trump announced sweeping tariffs on most countries around the globe as part of “Liberation Day” but is the president allowed to impose tariffs like that? This is the question the US Supreme Court is considering at the moment.What were the arguments for and against the presidential power to unilaterally tariff? How are the justices likely to decide? How could their decision impact one of the president’s signature policies?To consider these questions, we invited ABC’s Planet America Co-Host Chas Licciardello back on the podcast with Director of Impact and Engagement Mari Koeck to take a deep dive into the Supreme Court tariffs case.If you like a deep dive on Supreme Court issues, you may want to listen to these other episodes with Chas:Deep dive into Trump’s Supreme Court immunity hearing with Chas LicciardelloTrump’s immune. It is so ordered – featuring Chas LicciardelloCheck out PEP with Chas and Dr Dave here:YouTubeSpotifyAppleSubscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Recently, a gunman killed four people and wounded eight at a Latter Day Saints (or Mormon) church in Michigan. President Trump described this as “yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America” – but there are distinct differences between this and other high-profile shootings. How was this similar to or different from other attacks on religious institutions in America? What are the motivations behind these attacks? Is there a throughline between the assassination of Charlie Kirk and an attack on an LDS church in Michigan? Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy at the United States Studies Centre David Smith joined the podcast to discuss these questions. He is one of Australia’s leading experts on religious persecution in America and is the author of Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States. Related content:The Michigan church shooting sits within a long history of hatred against Mormons in AmericaUSSC Briefing Room | Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States

This week Lisa Curtis joins the podcast. She is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Program for a New American Security and she served in the US Government for more than 20 years across the White House National Security Council, CIA, State Department and Capitol Hill. What has changed in America at home and abroad from a year ago? Are US alliances fit for purpose? Where can US allies go from here? These were key questions that Lisa Curtis looked at in her panel discussions at Sydney International Strategy Forum 2025. We took a deeper dive into these topics on the podcast. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Legislation is hard to pass in the United States, but tends to have a longer-lasting impact than executive orders, which can be easily overturned. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act put climate change at the forefront of his legislative agenda. Now, with President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, we see the first major legislative action of Trump 2.0, particularly related to climate change and energy. How “Trump proof” was Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act? How does the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act change the dial on energy and climate policy? What will be the lasting energy legacy of Trump 2.0? Director of Research Jared Mondschein sat down with USSC Non-Resident Fellow Lachlan Carey to discuss these issues. Lachlan is a manger at RMI, where he leads work on US regional economic development through clean energy investment. He is also the author of the Trump 2.0 chapter “Climate and energy policies: Executing the Inflation Reduction Act.” Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

The White House has recently released America’s AI Action Plan: Winning the race and, in launching the plan, President Trump said, “America is the country that started the AI race. And as President of the United States, I’m here today to declare that America is going to win it.” How much of the AI Action Plan is about competing with China? What is in the plan and what’s missing? What could or should Australia’s role be in the AI race? Director of Strategic Technologies Olivia Shen joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these questions. Olivia previously led the Data Science and AI Strategy section for the Australian Department of Home Affairs and she was a Fulbright Scholar looking at the ethics of AI in national security. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

When President Trump’s war on international trade barriers kicked-off, the sweeping scale and scope of his tariffs were staggering. But even after Liberation Day, there’s one proposed tariff that seems to have caught many by surprise – the 100% tariff on any US films produced in different countries. From The Matrix to The Fall Guy, Australia has been a destination of choice for many US films, so what sort of impact could these proposed tariffs have on Australia’s film industry? How does President Trump view this as a national security issue? How should international film industry businesses respond? Senior Lecturer in the University of Sydney Business School Dr Mike Seymour joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck to discuss these issues. Dr Seymour's work focuses on the digital transformation of creative industries and the future of media production. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Initial results of Elbridge Colby’s AUKUS review are expected soon, but this feeds into broader conversations around increasing defence spending and even the role Australia can play in Trump’s “Golden Dome” project. Where have we seen shifts and continuity from Biden to Trump in defence policy? How can Australia thread the needle to negotiate best outcomes for AUKUS by looking at Golden Dome and defence spending? What impact is Trump’s defence policy having in the Indo-Pacific? Kelly Magsamen joined Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these issues. Kelly was former Chief of Staff to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and she is a Senior Advisor at The Asia Group. Kelly was a visiting fellow with the USSC as part of the Centre’s “Next Generation Leaders in the Australia-US Alliance” project. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat