Anika Begay
By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will start producing guided weapons alongside the United States next year to boost supplies to allies in the Indo-Pacific and increase the U.S. military presence there, including bombers, the two nations said after annual defense talks.
Australia and the United States are already working to upgrade air bases in northern and western Australia, which are closer to potential flashpoints of conflict with China in the South China Sea than the Australian capital of Canberra.
Following the annual AUSMIN talks in Annapolis, Maryland, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said there will be an increased presence of US rotational forces in Australia.
“This will mean more maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments,” he said.
In his opening remarks, Austin said the two allies face common security challenges, including China’s “coercive behavior.”
A joint statement released after the AUSMIN talks expressed concern over Chinese military activity around Taiwan and China’s excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea.
They “expressed deep concern over China’s dangerous and hostile behavior toward Philippine vessels lawfully operating in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”
There are no US military bases in Australia, but the northern city of Darwin hosts a rotational force of US Marines for six months of the year, and the US is building facilities for its Marines and visiting air squadrons within Australian bases.
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said the presence of the US military in Australia contributes to deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and that there will be closer cooperation in the production of guided weapons in Australia.
Next year, Australia will begin co-producing guided missiles, including the multiple launch guided rocket systems (GMLRS) used in Ukraine.
Australia is also testing a hypersonic attack cruise missile (HACM) with the United States, which Australia has said it intends to employ as the first hypersonic weapon for its fighter aircraft, the joint statement said.
“The presence of American troops in our country provides a tremendous opportunity to collaborate with our neighbors in the region,” Marles said.
The statement said Japan will step up exercises with the U.S. Marines in Darwin, while Australia and the United States will hold regular exercises in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
The statement mentioned for the first time Australia’s strategic territory in the Indian Ocean, the Cocos Islands, saying that the United States welcomed Australia’s planned infrastructure upgrade works and supported Australia’s completion of these works.
The Cocos Islands, with a population of 600 people, lie 3,000 km (1,864 miles) west of the Australian mainland and are described by the Australian Defence Force as key to maritime surveillance operations in the Indian Ocean, where China is increasing submarine activity.
Australia said it would begin construction on an expanded airfield on the island this year to accommodate heavier military aircraft, including the P-8A Poseidon submarine chaser.
