Joshua Brannon is a research intern in the USSC's Foreign Policy and Defence Program.

What is your educational background?

I am currently studying a Master of International Relations at the University of Sydney with a specialisation in US Foreign Policy. I have previously completed a Bachelor Arts majoring in History and Asian Studies, and a Bachelor of Secondary Education at the University of New South Wales.

What have you been working on in your time here at the USSC?

So far, I have worked on a variety of research tasks for Tom Corben, a Research Associate in the USSC’s Foreign Policy and Defence department. For example, I have examined the bilateral defence agreements that exist between the member-states of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (the Quad), with a particular focus on how such agreements may facilitate the deployment of anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. Furthermore, I have researched domestic and international reactions to the announcement of AUKUS and Australia’s acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. To fulfil the academic requirements of the program, I am researching the consequences — or lack thereof — of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan on allies in the Indo-Pacific, with an emphasis on Taiwan.

What do you hope to do with your experience at the USSC?

After working for a year as a high school teacher, I became increasingly interested in global affairs and decided to pursue a Master of International Relations as a pathway to a future career change. Opportunities like the internship at the USSC represent an avenue for me to discover what a career in foreign policy research looks like and allows me to better develop my own research skillset. Furthermore, an internship at the USSC affords me an exciting insight into how think tanks operate and equips me with up-to-date information about international relations through policy papers, reports and webinars.