Australia urged to put everything on the table in talks with US

Experts say Australia should be prepared when the Defence Minister touches down in the US overnight.

Australia should be prepared to put everything on the table ahead of talks with the US this week, according to Australia‘s leading defence think tank.

Defence Minister Richard Marles flew out on Sunday for the first ministerial visit since the May election.

The progression of the AUKUS submarine program is expected to be high on the agenda, as is the Albanese’s government’s latest charm offensive in the Indo-Pacific region.

The complex backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Pacific Island, and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s aggression in the South China Sea means Australia must take a no holds barred approach to the US, security experts have said.

Mr Marles will hold talks with his US counterpart this week. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s Bec Shrimpton said everything must be on the table when he speaks with his US counterparts.

“Deep, constructive and committed regional engagement by the US is always a key objective within our Alliance, but at this time there are many strategic issues demanding a collective approach to which Australian and US co-operation is absolutely central,” she told the NCA Newswire.

“There should be no issues off the table for discussion with our closest strategic ally and partner.

“What ultimately holds us together are core interests and shared values, though we express these independently at times as we should.”

Mr Marles has ramped up his presence in the Indo-Pacific region since being sworn in May.

Travelling to India, Singapore and Japan, Mr Marles has signed Australia up to deeper defence ties amid shared anxieties over China’s military might.

His visit to the US is in the shadow of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s attendance at the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in Fiji on Wednesday.

The AUKUS agreement is set to be a major talking point. (Photo by POIS Yuri Ramsey/Australian Defence Force via Getty Images)

Ms Shrimpton said Beijing’s effort to exploit internal rifts in the PIF is a concern as is China’s efforts to create an alternative security architecture in the Pacific.

Privately, the US has been encouraging Australian policymakers to step up in the region for some time.

The Biden Administration has been welcoming of the Albanese government’s renewed focus on the Pacific.

Mr Marles has flagged the progress of the AUKUS submarine program as the key focus of talks with counterpart Lloyd Austin.

Plans for Australia's future submarines are expected to be unveiled by March next year following the completion of a Defence “scoping plan” to decide which vessel to go with.

In a statement, Mr Marles said he was “ambitious” of what the two nations could achieve together.

It is the first ministerial trip to the US since the election. NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

“I look forward to bringing new energy to the table. It is critical that we work together with our allies and partners to protect the rules-based international order,” he said.

Ms Shrimpton agreed, and urged the new government would take the visit to “put its own stamp” on the AUKUS arrangement.

“The Chinese government has thrown down a clear challenge to the US and its allies and partners in key technology areas,” she said.

“We must demonstrate that we can compete effectively and we will only do this by leveraging our respective capability and technology advantages towards common objectives.

“There’s an early opportunity here to address vital technology and industrial base collaboration issues.

“The government needs to use every engagement with the US to get to concrete projects that can drive a path through traditional collaboration barriers, including in export controls and acquisition policy.”