Senior Australian and U.S. officials pledged to enhance force deployments, defense industrial base cooperation and regional security integration in the Indo-Pacific during Monday’s Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultation.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with their Australian counterparts Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the Jack C. Taylor Conference Center at the U.S. Naval Institute in Annapolis, Md., for the 34th iteration of the bilateral defense forum. This year’s talks also capped off what senior defense officials described to reporters as the “ten most consequential days for U.S. defense ties in the region” for the Biden administration. Before AUSMIN, Austin and Blinken traveled to the Indo-Pacific for ministerial talks in Tokyo and Manila to upgrade Washington’s investment and force posture in the region.
“We’re poised to advance our – advance major force posture initiatives. We’ll take steps to deepen our defense industrial cooperation on co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment, and that includes supporting Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. We’ll also identify new opportunities with like-minded allies and partners, including Japan, India and the Philippines,” Austin remarked before the start of the consultation at Annapolis.
Expanding on initiatives set forth during last year’s talks in Brisbane, a statement on the meeting highlighted basing and deployment opportunities for rotational U.S. forces throughout Australia. A senior defense official cited increased rotations of platforms, including P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, fifth-generation F-35 fighters, and bombers to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases Amberly, Darwin and Tyndall. This year’s AUSMIN identified an additional three air bases, RAAF Learmonth, Scherger and Curtin, for future rotational deployments and infrastructure investments.
Given the transportation challenges associated with the vast maritime distances of the Indo-Pacific, the Army identified Australia as a major hub for its regional logistical network during last year’s talks. The service plans to have a Logistics Support Area in Queensland and an equipment prepositioning site for equipment in Bandiana. Army watercraft are slated to deploy to Australia on a rotational basis.
The two countries highlighted efforts to bring the production of American munitions to the Australian defense industrial base, particularly precision missiles fired from the M142 HIMARS such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System and the anti-ship capable Precision Strike Missile. Australia procured HIMARS in 2023 under its LAND 8113 program, an acquisition program that aimed to equip the force with the necessary long-range fire capabilities. Activities on the joint development of the Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) were also highlighted in a joint statement of the consultations. The RAAF is set to integrate the hypersonic missile onto its F/A-18F Super Hornets through the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment.
2024’s talks brought a new joint integrated air and missile defense effort, with officials committing to “develop a strategic roadmap on concrete cooperative activities.”
Compared to last year’s AUSMIN, defense cooperation with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific had progressed drastically. Since July 2023, Canberra has welcomed Japanese F-35s to RAAF Darwin, conducted a trilateral Australian-Philippine-U.S. Marine Corps exercise in the South China Sea and held numerous engagements in maritime security with countries across the region.
Senior U.S. defense officials told USNI News that there were discussions with Australia, Japan and the Philippines for more joint patrols. “We are aiming for a more regular and consistent series of maritime cooperative activities. And I think you’ll be seeing this in the near term,” said the official.
On Wednesday, Philippine, Canadian, Australian and U.S. forces began a two-day-long joint patrol in the South China Sea. This marks the third patrol that Canberra has participated in since November 2023.
“For more than a century, the United States and Australia have worked shoulder to shoulder. Australia remains an indispensable ally. We’re working together today to tackle shared security challenges, from coercive behavior by the PRC, to Russia’s war of choice against Ukraine, to the turmoil in the Middle East. And I know that this year’s AUSMIN will deliver results for both of our peoples,” said Austin.
