In 2026, the United States Studies Centre hosted a series of public conversations across Australia on the Australia-US alliance, the defining security relationship for Australia in an era of unprecedented change in the international order and the domestic politics of the United States. This event was the Sydney leg of this national conversation.
2026 marked the 75th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance, one of the bedrocks of Australian security policy. But under the second Trump presidency, 2026 also saw traditional US foreign policy turned on its head, towards an international order based on raw power and in which the United States expects its allies and partners to share a greater burden for their own defence.
“The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over” says the 2025 US National Security Strategy. “Allies and partners must assume primary responsibility for their regions and contribute far more to our collective defense.” At the same time, the geopolitical challenges facing Australia in Asia are the most serious in decades, as Australia’s 2023 Defence Strategic Review notes.
What does this mean for the future of the Australia-US alliance and Australia’s relationship with our key security ally, the United States? The United States Studies Centre is asking this question around Australia as part of a series of national in-person engagements, and we want to hear from you.
This moderated conversation was an opportunity for attendees to share their thoughts on the future of the Australia-US alliance in the age of Trump. Conversations and insights were collated anonymously to inform a forthright appraisal of the relevance, strengths, liabilities, and potential scenarios for the alliance in this new era of great power competition.
This event was held under Chatham House rule.
