Last month the Trump administration submitted the largest defence budget request in history – US$1.5 trillion, which is a 40% increase from the prior year. At the same time, the administration is seeking to circumvent Congress’ ‘power of the purse’ through various legislative manoeuvres, effectively expanding the powers of the executive branch.

What can the budget request tell us about the Trump administration’s defence priorities? How are they changing the balance of powers through the budget process? Are these changes likely to be long-lasting or easily reversable?

Research Fellow Tom Corben and Senior Research Associate Esther Soulard recently published an explainer: Trump, Congress and the battle for the defence budget and they sat down with Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss.

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Produced by: Elliott Brennan

Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

For our 100th episode, USSC CEO Dr Michael Green joins the podcast to discuss Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Australia last week. She and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shared a number of joint statements on economic security, critical minerals, energy security, cyber and defence and security cooperation and announced the Australia-Japan leadership dialogue. However, there was no joint press conference, no speech before parliament, no major interviews and, not surprisingly, far less media coverage than Mark Carney’s visit. Dr Green discusses the purpose of Takaichi’s visit to Australia and where Australia-Japan relations should go next. Dr Green worked in the National Security Council at the White House, and was Senior Vice President for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, alongside his role as Director of Asian Studies and Chair in Modern and Contemporary Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. He is a leading expert on Japan and knows Sanae Takaichi personally.

Recommended reading:

• Japan was first mover on economic security. Australia’s now a partner by Hayley Channer
• A partnership for the AJUS: Operationalising Australia-Japan-United States defence cooperation by Tom Corben, Christopher Johnstone, Prof. Peter Dean and Prof. Tetsuo Kotani
• The Japan opportunity for Australia by Dr Michael Green
• Developing a shared Australia–Japan agenda for economic security by Tom Barrett, Hayley Channer, Samuel Garrett and Sahara Hoff
• Operationalising Japan’s security role in Asia: A survey of experts in Japan, the United States and Australia by Dr Michael Green, Christopher Johnstone, Prof. Peter Dean, Nicholas Szechenyi, Tom Corben and Shizuka Takada
• How Takaichi can triumph — and what others can learn from Japan’s embrace of American power by Dr Michael Green
• US-Australia-Japan strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific: Testing trilateralism through crisis simulation by Dr Christopher Watterson, Dr Michael Green, Prof. Peter Dean, Prof. Nobukatsu Kanehara, Katsuya Yamamoto, Takuma Matsu
• AJUSINT: Advancing defence information and intelligence sharing between Australia, Japan and the United States by Tom Corben, Hirohito Ogi, Luke Collin, Carl Herse

Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Produced by: Elliott Brennan

Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat

Throughout March and April, Pope Leo XIV began speaking out against the war in Iran and the violence, saying it was an “unjust war.” Shortly after 60 Minutes aired an episode with Catholic officials criticising the war, President Trump started attacking the Pope on social and then shared the now-infamous image of Trump as a Christ-like figure.

Why are both the Pope and Donald Trump so focused on speaking out against each other? What is the political fallout of the “Jesus Trump” image? Is this war of words unique or just par for the course?

Associate Professor David Smith joined Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck on the podcast to discuss these questions. David teaches American Politics and Foreign Policy at the USSC and is also an expert on the history of religious persecution in America.

Subscribe to the USSC Briefing Room on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.

Produced by: Elliott Brennan

Music by Dan Phillipson, licensed through PremiumBeat