From the Iran War to energy markets and Chinese ballistic missile tests in the Pacific, 2026 has been a year marked by disruption and disorder.
In its 75th year, the ANZUS Treaty remains a source of stability enhanced by strengthened ties among like-minded partners across the Indo-Pacific. Yet questions are also growing about the trajectory of American power, Chinese intentions towards Taiwan, the impact of the trans-Atlantic rift, and the growing weaponisation of economic interdependence.
Will ANZUS and the alliances in the Indo-Pacific be overwhelmed by this disorder or stand as a collective breakwater?
Join us to analyse, debate and interpret these dynamics in real time with leading experts from the United States, Australia and the Indo-Pacific at the 4th annual Sydney International Strategy Forum.
Agenda
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Secure your ticketsSpeakers
Our speakers represent decades of leadership across government, diplomacy, defence, academia and industry.
Their collective experience spans the institutions and decisions shaping today’s strategic environment, offering you unparalleled insight into the forces driving global change.
And over the coming weeks we'll be announcing even more.
John C. Aquilino, Admiral, US Navy (Ret'd)
American Australian Association Fellow and former Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, US Pacific Fleet, US Fifth Fleet
Douglas A. Beck
Senior Fellow, Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs
Dr Lael Brainard
Former Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States
Dr Kurt M. Campbell
Former US Deputy Secretary of State and Chairman and Co-Founder of The Asia Group
Dr Sheena Chestnut Greitens
Associate Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin and Director of the University of Texas’ Asia Policy Program
Hayley Channer
Director, Economic SecurityUnited States Studies Centre
Dr Janine Davidson
President, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Geraldine Doogue AO
Senior presenterAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
Dr Michael J. Green
Chief Executive OfficerUnited States Studies Centre
Justin Hayhurst
Deputy Secretary, International and Security of the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara
Executive Director, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
Bilahari Kausikan
Former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore
Matthew Knott
Foreign Affairs and National Security CorrespondentSydney Morning Herald and The Age
Dr John Kunkel
Non-Resident Senior FellowUnited States Studies Centre
Dr I-Chung Lai
President of the Prospect Foundation
Dr Lavina Lee
Director, Foreign Policy and DefenceUnited States Studies Centre
Chas Licciardello
Host of Planet America on the ABC
Jared Mondschein
Director of ResearchUnited States Studies Centre
Greg Moriarty AO
Australian Ambassador to the United States
Michael Pezzullo
Former Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs
Professor Benjamin Reilly
Senior FellowUnited States Studies Centre
The Hon. Randall G. Schriver
Chairman of the Board at The Institute for Indo-Pacific Security
Samantha Selinger-Morris
Host of The Morning EditionThe Sydney Morning Herald and The Age
Olivia Shen
Director, Strategic TechnologiesUnited States Studies Centre
Rebecca Shrimpton
Senior Vice President, The Asia Group
The Honourable Arthur Sinodinos AO
ChairmanUnited States Studies Centre
Associate Professor David Smith
Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign PolicyUnited States Studies Centre (jointly appointed with the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney)
Cameron Stewart
Chief International CorrespondentThe Australian
Yoshiaki Wada
Member of the House of Representatives of JapanJapanese House of Representatives
Peter Varghese AO
Former Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
