Sydney International Strategy Forum 2025

From tariffs to artificial intelligence, one word best sums up 2025: disruption.

President Donald Trump’s first 100 days featured norm-breaking policies at breakneck pace, often to be overturned days or weeks later. At the same time, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have entered new eras with high-level negotiations, on-again off-again fighting and a new world order forming in real time to adapt to a changing strategic landscape. The 2024 trend of turfing incumbents has given way to foreign elections that many perceive to be a referendum on US politics.

What is the future of the United States’ role in the world? How can governments and businesses plan in the midst of constant change? How should allies and partners approach security challenges in 2025 and beyond?

Join international experts across government, business and academia as they share their insights on the discussions happening in Washington, Canberra and Tokyo, and what they mean for US allies and partners around the world.

Featured speakers

Confirmed speakers include former senior officials from the White House, National Security Council and US military, as well as leading voices from prominent think tanks — bringing unparalleled expertise in foreign policy, defence and Indo-Pacific strategy.

Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper

PartnerThe Asia Group

Dr Mira Rapp-Hooper is a Partner at The Asia Group, where she advises clients on geopolitical risk.

General David H. Berger USMC (Ret’d)

Former CommandantUS Marine Corps

Retired US Marine Corps General David H. Berger is a native of Maryland and a 1981 graduate of Tulane University. He retired in 2023 having served four years as the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Dr Kori Schake

Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy StudiesAmerican Enterprise Institute

Dr Kori Schake leads the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute. She is the author of Safe Passage: the Transition from British to American Hegemony, and a contributing writer at the Atlantic, War on the Rocks, and Bloomberg.

Lisa Curtis

Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program Center for a New American Security

Lisa Curtis is the director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara

Executive DirectorSasakawa Peace Foundation

Professor Nobukatsu Kanehara is Executive Director of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Professor of the Faculty of Law Department of Political Science, Doshisha University. He served as Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from 2012 to 2019.

Clay Lowery

Executive Vice President for Research and PolicyInstitute of International Finance

Clay Lowery is the Executive Vice President for research and policy at the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

Become a sponsor

Sponsors of the Forum receive a competitive package of benefits, including high-visibility branding opportunities, exclusive access to closed-door engagements such as our Strategy Simulation, and opportunities to connect with senior leaders across government, business, and academia.

If your company is interested in partnering with the Centre for this premier strategic forum, please contact our Engagement Officer, Georgia Baillie.

About the Forum

Now in its third year, the Sydney International Strategy Forum (SISF) is the United States Studies Centre’s flagship annual event, bringing together global experts from government, business and academia to examine the forces shaping the international landscape.

Held in Sydney each year, SISF explores the most pressing issues in foreign policy, defence, economics, and politics, with a particular focus on the role of the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific region. From emerging technologies to shifting geopolitical dynamics, the Forum provides a platform for timely, high-level dialogue on the challenges and opportunities confronting the world today.

Former Chief of the Australian Defence Force and author of the 2023 Defence Strategic Review, Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd), sat down with USSC's Peter Dean at SISF 2024 to discuss the changing geostrategic landscape.

Former US Ambassador to the European Union and President and COO of Business Roundtable, Kristen Silverberg, discusses the business community's response to the incoming Trump administration at SISF 2024.

American security analyst and former US Army Officer specialising in US-China relations, Matthew Turpin provides his insights on navigating economic security and technology competition at SISF 2024.

Former US Congresswoman, Stephanie Murphy, talks on the evolving role of Congress in Asia at SISF 2024.

Government relations experts and USSC Non-Resident Fellow, Lester Munson provides insights on the new US Congress at SISF 2024.