Kelly Magsamen: The future of US defence policy

The transition to a new US Administration has sharpened Washington’s focus on the Indo-Pacific, while also exposing deep strategic and political tensions shaping the future of American foreign and defence policy. Competing pressures — between isolationism and interventionism, reassurance and burden-sharing with allies, and fiscal restraint versus demands for force modernisation and advanced capabilities like ‘Golden Dome’ — are creating uncertainty around how the US will deter what Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called China’s “imminent threat” to Taiwan. These tensions raise urgent questions: How has (and hasn’t) the US approach to deterrence in the Indo-Pacific changed under the new Administration? Are US forces adequately postured to support US regional interests and alliance commitments? Where are the major fault lines in US regional strategy, and what do they mean for the future of regional security and US influence in the Indo-Pacific? To unpack these issues, the United States Studies Centre hosted a fireside chat with Kelly Magsamen , former Chief of Staff to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Senior Advisor at The Asia Group. The conversation was moderated by Professor Peter Dean , Director of Foreign Policy and Defence at the United States Studies Centre. This event is part of the United States Studies Centre's ‘Next Generation Leaders in the Australia-US Alliance’ project which is supported by funding from the US State Department.

You can listen to Kelly Magsamen: The future of US defence policy online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Kelly Magsamen: The future of US defence policy is an episode from USSC Live by Susan Beale.

This episode is 53:26 long.

This episode was published on Jul 17, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from USSC Live when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.