In this project, funded by the Department of Defence as part of its Strategic Policy Grants Program, the research team from Griffith University, ANU Strategic and Defence Studies Centre and United States Studies Centre engaged communities across every Australian capital city and in selected regions on how Australia should use the US Alliance to its advantage as it navigates strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific over the next 5-10 years. The project has been led by Professor Andrew O’Neil, Professor Caitlin Byrne, Professor Peter Dean, and Professor Stephan Frühling.
The nationwide consultation process resulted in a number of key findings including the following:
- Australians remain positively predisposed towards the Alliance and find it of enduring value.
- There is a sense of uncertainty among Australians about what the Alliance is for today, as distinct from what it is against, or what it has been in the past.
- Many Australians believe that the Alliance needs to be extended to encompass deeper cooperation beyond the traditional defence context, including climate action.
Panelists discussed the results of the report on Australian public perspectives on the Australia-US Alliance. Dr Michael Green, CEO, United States Studies Centre moderated the discussion.
