Australia’s defence minister, Richard Marles, met with his US counterpart, secretary of war Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon in Washington DC overnight.
A readout of the meeting released by the US says the pair spoke about the 75th anniversary of the Anzus treaty and “how both nations will continue to advance the alliance and strengthen deterrence in the Pacific”.
The US said both leaders “agreed to accelerate force posture initiatives at Australian bases, bolster cooperation in combined logistics, and build greater interoperability through joint exercises”.
They also discussed joint efforts to increase capacity for guided weapons and “next-generation capabilities”. They also spoke about advancements surrounding the Aukus submarine deal.
