USSC Briefing Room

From the war with Iran to the end of the New START Treaty, nuclear issues have made regular headlines in 2026, but less attention has focused on the Indo-Pacific region. Yet amidst an unprecedented growth in China’s nuclear stockpile and increased sabre-rattling from the CRINKs (China, Russia, Iran and North Korea), experts point to the threat of a new wave of nuclear proliferation in the Indo-Pacific. What is driving this trend towards nuclear proliferation? How is AUKUS impacting nuclear tensions in the region? What role should Australia play in shaping and driving outcomes around nuclear proliferation? ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre Professor Stephan Frühling and University of Melbourne Professor of International Relations Maria Rublee joined USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these issues. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

As America votes in one of the most significant midterm elections in modern history, USSC Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy David Smith and USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck give you a coast-to-coast guide for what to watch in the election results in key states. What races will decide the elections? How much can we trust the polls? Will the redistricting wars backfire on Republicans? Tune in to follow along on election day to get an indication of whether Democrats or Republicans will control the House and Senate. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Australia’s strategic environment is undergoing a profound shift. China’s rapid military and nuclear expansion is changing the regional balance of power, while the prospect of major-power conflict in the Indo-Pacific appears increasingly plausible. At the same time, questions are being raised about the future reliability of the United States as Australia’s principal strategic ally against the backdrop of the second Trump administration’s more transactional approach to global alliances.How should Australia respond? How should it prepare for a more capable and assertive China that is increasingly coordinating with other adversarial powers, while also mitigating greater unpredictability in Washington? And what does all this mean for the future of the US-Australia alliance?To unpack these questions, USSC's Director of the Foreign Policy and Defence Program, Dr Lavina Lee, was joined by Emeritus Professor of strategic studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University College of Asia and the Pacific, Paul Dibb. Paul previously held positions as the Deputy Secretary for Strategy and Intelligence in the Department of Defence, Director of the Defence Intelligence Organisation, and Head of the National Assessments Staff in the National Intelligence. He wrote the 1986 Review of Australia’s Defence Capabilities (commonly known as the Dibb Report) and was the primary author of the 1987 Defence White Paper. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

The US midterm elections in just a couple of weeks will be the first real test of how Trump 2.0 is playing out with voters. In the lead up to the election, USSC recorded a special discussion between Dr Larry Sabato, Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia and USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe for a live event.What are the key races to watch? How will Trump’s approval ratings impact the results? Could the polls all be wrong again? Larry and Bruce discuss these questions and everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 midterms. The full video with slides is available on our YouTube channel and follow Sabato’s Crystal Ball for updated predictions. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Eleven years since the Pentagon established the Defense Innovation Unit, that office has become a key instrument to rapidly test, prototype and scale promising technology to meet urgent demands. Amidst intense technological competition with China, including many with military applications like AI, hypersonics, quantum, and others – how is the United States seeking to get ahead or even catch-up in key areas of technological advantage? How can governments work more effectively with the commercial sector to drive defence innovation and the adoption of new technologies? And what role is there for US allies and partners in supporting the Pentagon’s innovation goals? Former Director of the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Doug Beck joined the podcast to discuss these questions. Prior to his role with DIU, he spent 13 years reporting directly to Tim Cook at Apple. Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Produced by: Elliott BrennanMusic by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat