We shouldn't panic but nor can we relax.
In this uncertain and unpredictable new age of President Trump Australian policymakers and diplomats will have to work harder than ever before to maintain the US alliance, analysts at the Australian National University say.
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Politicians must also intensify their efforts to champion the importance of the US-Australia relationship to a sceptical public, according to a new policy paper from Rory Medcalf and the National Security College.
While Australia is well-regarded in Washington - and has already forged important connections with major figures in the new administration - the country will need to find new and creative ways to reach and influence decision-makers in the Trump era, moving beyond the usual diplomatic and defence channels.
"We need to keep increasing our traction within Congress, among business leaders, key US agencies and a wide array of opinion shapers," the paper says.
"We need creative approaches on top of traditional diplomacy – it is not a job for government alone."
Australia will also need to be seen to do more "heavy lifting" in the alliance to address Trump's concern that countries are free riding on US power. That could mean Australia may be expected to do more in terms of providing facilities to support US military activities in Asia and globally.
But it's going to be a bumpy ride, given the serious risks that an isolationist Trump will disengage and withdraw from the international system. His approach to world affairs is likely to be driven by external events rather than any sort of consistent vision, and marked by partisanship and polarisation.
![Trump's presidency is likely to test the Australian public's support for the US alliance.](/web/20170123195052im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/m/7/4/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtv7od.png/1484996504612.jpg)
"This is difficult news for Australia. The alliance with the US remains central to our national security. We have no realistic alternative. Our interests are extensive and our capabilities cannot protect them in full," the paper says.
"The alliance is broad and deep enough to survive a Trump presidency so we need not
panic. But nor can we relax. We will need to reframe our engagement with the United States in plain terms of national interests – theirs and ours."
While the Australian public's support for the US alliance is usually high, Trump's presidency will test that like never before.
![Incoming US President Donald Trump's approach to world affairs is likely to be driven by external events rather than any ...](/web/20170123195052im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/u/x/r/v/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtv7od.png/1484996504612.jpg)
That means politicians need to do more to tell the public precisely why and how the US-backed alliance system is in our interests.
"This will require engaging directly with the arguments of those who criticise the alliance and who understandably worry about Trump."
![Illustration: Matt Golding](/web/20170123195052im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/v/s/u/n/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtv7od.png/1484996542758.jpg)
Meanwhile, America's security competitors - most notably China and Russia, but also North Korea - will seek to test US resolve and power, early and severely.
Australia must work to deepen and diversify its security and economic partnerships across the Indo-Pacific region - with countries like Japan, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam - in an effort to build a new "strategic web" not as critically dependent on the US.
"Practically, this means demonstrating that US allies and partners can work together at times without the United States."