The next Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation (AUSMIN) will take place later this month amidst sharpening strategic competition with China and rising concerns about the direction of Biden’s Indo-Pacific strategy. This meeting between foreign and defence ministers is a critical opportunity for the Australia-US alliance to embark on more ambitious efforts to uphold a stable, open and prosperous regional order.
Competing for influence within the Indo-Pacific should be at the top of the agenda for this year’s AUSMIN. How can Australia and the US expand regional military posture and deterrence initiatives? What should be done to deepen engagement and partnerships with Southeast Asia? And how might Canberra and Washington work better together to counter economic coercion and pursue new technology partnerships?
To discuss these issues, the USSC hosted a webinar featuring Non-Resident Fellow Jennifer Jackett, Director of Trade and Investment Stephen Kirchner, Research Fellow Susannah Patton and Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Ashley Townshend, moderated by CEO Simon Jackman.
Jennifer Jackett
Non-Resident Fellow, Foreign Policy and Defence Program, United States Studies Centre
Jennifer Jackett is a Non-Resident Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre.
Dr Stephen Kirchner
Dr Stephen Kirchner was Director of the International Economy Program at the United States Studies Centre until April 2022. He is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute in Canada, where he has contributed to research projects comparing public policies in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Previously, he was an economist with the Australian Financial Markets Association, where he worked on public policy issues relating to the efficient and effective functioning of Australian financial markets and Australia’s position as a regional and international financial centre.
Susannah Patton
Susannah Patton was previously a Research Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre. She joined the United States Studies Centre from the Australian government, where she was until 2020 a Senior Analyst in the Southeast Asia Branch at the Office of National Intelligence, Australia’s peak intelligence assessment agency.
Ashley Townshend
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, United States Studies Centre
Ashley Townshend is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the United States Studies Centre and Senior Fellow for Indo-Pacific Security at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is the founding co-chair of the annual US-Australia Indo-Pacific Deterrence Dialogue and was the Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre from June 2017 to June 2022.
Professor Simon Jackman
Professor Simon Jackman was Chief Executive Officer of the United States Studies Centre from April 2016 to May 2022. Between 1996 and 2016, he was a Professor of Political Science and Statistics at Stanford University. Jackman's teaching and research centres on public opinion, election campaigns, political participation, and electoral systems with special emphasis on American and Australian politics.
