Washington, Dec 9 (LatestNewsX) — In a meeting held on Monday, officials from the United States and Australia centered their discussions on the Indo‑Pacific, stressing deeper defence ties, more visible troop deployments, and the continued importance of the Quad, with India highlighted as a key partner in the regional strategy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio began by describing Australia as “an incredibly strong alliance” and the “only ally that has fought with us in every war over the last — over — certainly, over the last four or five decades.” He noted that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit in October had galvanized clear priorities for the wider Indo‑Pacific region.
Rubio positioned the Quad— the US‑India‑Japan‑Australia grouping—at the core of the administration’s Indo‑Pacific agenda. “We are… deeply committed to the Quad,” he said, adding that it has been a “concept of in conjunction with Japan and India, the building out of this Quad,” and recalling that “it was in this very room that I did my first event as secretary of state with the Quad.”
He tied the Quad’s growing role to shared concerns over technology and economic security, pointing to the new critical‑minerals agreement signed with Canberra. “Reliable supply chains are essential… whether it’s defend our countries, defend our allies or defend each other,” Rubio said, warning that both sides need to avoid being “overly invested in one place, where they can be used as leverage against our partners or us.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong echoed this sentiment, saying the Australia‑US partnership is “indispensable to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo‑Pacific,” and reiterated that “the United States is our principal ally and our principal strategic partner.” She highlighted the long‑standing continuity of AUSMIN since 1985, noting that “today, the United States and Australia as much as ever rely on each other.”
Wong emphasized that AUKUS—the submarine‑and‑advanced‑technology alliance involving the US, UK and Australia—remains central to maintaining balance in the region. “We are full steam ahead. We are full steam ahead,” she declared.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined a broad Indo‑Pacific military strategy designed to extend US operational reach and deepen joint capabilities with partners. “We’re working on force posture,” he said, mentioning upgrades to “air bases in Queensland and the Northern Territory,” expanded “US bomber rotations,” and enhanced logistics at Darwin, which enables more US Marines to undertake rotational deployments and pre‑position MV‑22 Osprey aircraft.
Hegseth also detailed joint production and sustainment plans for advanced weaponry—a cooperation he said is vital for deterring conflict in the Indo‑Pacific. He listed “cooperative actions on things like GMLRS… precision strike missiles,” and progress toward “co‑production and co‑sustainment of hypersonic attack cruise missiles… air‑to‑air missiles,” as well as collaboration on “Mark 54 torpedoes.”
Critical minerals continue to serve as a strategic glue in the alliance, especially as India expands partnerships with both countries. Hegseth described them as “a huge part of ensuring both countries can operate the way we need to in that region and around the world.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles characterized the talks as pivotal for navigating a “much more contested world where it really matters to be doubling down with friends and allies.” He noted that AUKUS is moving “full steam ahead,” and highlighted plans to field the Submarine Rotational Force West by 2027. Australia is already hosting “the most extensive maintenance that a US nuclear submarine has undertaken outside of the United States.”
Marles also spoke of expanding access for US forces across “air, sea and ground, but also space and cyber,” underscoring a coordinated Indo‑Pacific deterrence posture. He pointed to deep integration within US commands, noting that “almost 900 Australian servicemen and women… are embedded in the United States defence forces,” and that deputy commanders of the US Army, Navy and Air Force in the Pacific “are all now institutionally Australian.”
The strengthened US‑Australia alignment comes at a time of heightened competition in the Indo‑Pacific. The two nations coordinate closely with India through the Quad, joint exercises, maritime domain‑awareness initiatives, and emerging‑technology frameworks.
The Quad has evolved into a strategic platform linking the US, India, Japan and Australia on supply chains, maritime security, cybersecurity and critical technologies, complementing bilateral and trilateral arrangements designed to bolster stability across the Indo‑Pacific region.
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