The Deepening Australia-U.S. Alliance in the Asia-Pacific Region
Past Event
Looking Ahead: Next Steps for the Deepening Australia-U.S. Alliance in the Asia-Pacific - Part 1
Looking Ahead: Next Steps for the Deepening Australia-U.S. Alliance in the Asia-Pacific - Part 1
Looking Ahead: Next Steps for the Deepening Australia-U.S. Alliance in the Asia-Pacific - Part 2
The United States and Australia in Emerging Asia
Address by the Honorable Julie Bishop MP
Address by the Honorable Christine Wormuth
Remarks by Wesley Bush
On January 21, Brookings in partnership with the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney and their Alliance 21 project hosted a day-long conference entitled, “Looking Ahead: Next Steps for the Deepening Australia-U.S. Alliance in the Asia-Pacific.” The conference featured keynote speeches by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Christine Wormuth.
With few equals in the world today, the Australia-U.S. partnership stands out for its broad base of shared interests, increasingly global in scope. However, challenges lie ahead for this special relationship. In the first Alliance 21 conference of 2015, government, business, military and think tank leaders from Australia and the United States will discuss the depth and breadth of the Australia-U.S. partnership and explore how best to leverage its strengths to meet future challenges and opportunities in the dynamic Asia-Pacific region.
The full-day conference featured expert panels on the Asia-Pacific strategic environment, trade and investment opportunities, and defense ties.
Agenda
Coffee Break
The United States and Australia in Emerging Asia: A Conversation with Senior U.S. and Australian Officials
Evan Medeiros
Penner Family Chair in Asian Studies - Georgetown University
Andrew Shearer
Senior Adviser and Project Director - Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Former National Security Adviser - Office of the Prime Minister of Australia
Keynote Address by the Honorable Julie Bishop MP
Julie Bishop
Minister for Foreign Affairs - Australia
Keynote Address by the Honorable Christine Wormuth
Christine Wormuth
Under Secretary for Policy - U.S. Department of Defense
Strategic Trends and the U.S.-Australia Relationship in the Asia-Pacific
Jeff Bleich
Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia
Linda Jakobson
Visiting Professor - United States Studies Centre, University of Sydney
Andrew Stoler
Former Deputy Director - World Trade Organization
Tom Harley
Chairman - Dow Australia
Challenges and Opportunities for U.S.-Australia Defense Ties in the Asia-Pacific
L. Gordon Flake
Executive Director, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation
Hon. Robert Hill
Former Australian Minister of Defense - Senior Advisor, Alliance 21
Lt. Gen. Peter Leahy, Ret.
Former Chief of Army - Australian Defense Force
Lt. Gen. Wallace “Chip” Gregson, Ret.
Assistant Secretary of Defense, Asia and Pacific Security Affairs - U.S. Department of Defense
Ben FitzGerald
Senior Fellow and Director, Technology and National Security Program - Center for a New American Security
Remarks by Wesley Bush
Wesley Bush
Chairman, CEO & President - Northrup Grumman
Coffee Break
Wesley Bush
Chairman, CEO & President - Northrup Grumman
Lunch
Wesley Bush
Chairman, CEO & President - Northrup Grumman
Coffee and Registration
Wesley Bush
Chairman, CEO & President - Northrup Grumman
Opening Remarks
Closing Remarks
James Brown
Director - Alliance 21
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[The resignation of assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs Wess Mitchell] is surprising news, which seems to have caught everyone off guard. He doesn’t appear to have shared this news with his ambassadors, who were in Washington last week for a global chiefs of mission conference. His deputy is also slated to retire soon, which raises question of near term leadership on European policy at a time of challenges there.
[Wess] Mitchell was a strong supporter of NATO, particularly in Eastern Europe where he will be sorely missed. His departure comes follows the resignation of senior Pentagon officials – Robert Karem and Tom Goffus – working on NATO along with Secretary Mattis. Without this pro-alliance caucus, NATO is now more vulnerable than at any time since the beginning of the Trump administration.