Richard Marles ‘excited’ over defence ties with US

Richard Marles says he is ‘excited’ to work with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after a phone call with his newly confirmed counterpart on Wednesday.

Defence Minister Richard Marles speaks with with US Defence Secretary of Pete Hegseth. Picture X

Richard Marles says he is “excited” to work with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth after a phone call with his newly confirmed counterpart on Wednesday, declaring Labor was “very confident” it could forge strong ties with the Trump administration.

The Defence Minister said Mr Hegseth underscored the importance of the AUKUS submarine pact and American leadership in the Indo-Pacific.

“It went really well – very warm, a sense of common purpose, about the role of both Australia and America and the world,” Mr Marles said.

“We talked about AUKUS and the need for us to progress that. And I’m really excited, as Secretary Hegseth is, in building this relationship going forward.”

The conversation came less than a week after Vice-President JD Vance had to use his tie-breaking vote to secure Mr Hegseth’s confirmation amid allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and public drunkenness against the former army officer and Fox News host.

It followed Anthony Albanese’s call with Donald Trump after his win, and Penny Wong’s talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz last week.

Mr Marles said Australia had gotten off to a good start with the Trump team, and was optimistic at the nation’s prospects in the new geopolitical landscape.

“We are very confident about the relationship we’re building with the Trump administration,” he said. “We are very confident about the future of American leadership under the Trump administration in the Indo-Pacific, which is so essential to Australia’s national interest, and I’m genuinely excited about working with Secretary Hegseth and building the relationship with the Trump administration, which will take the alliance forward.”

The government has been anxious to get off on the right foot with the US President and his MAGA lieutenants, amid hostility towards key US partners.

Mr Trump has unsettled allies with his vow to impose 25 per cent tariff hikes on Mexico and Canada, and threats to seize the Panama Canal and take Greenland from Denmark.

Australia avoided Mr Trump’s tariff onslaught during his first presidency, and there are hopes it will do so again thanks to the ­nations’ strategic partnership.

The Foreign Minister has also emphasised the US’s strong trade surplus with Australia – the same argument the Turnbull government used when it successfully fended off proposed Trump tariffs on steel and aluminium.

The Prime Minister claimed this year he was better placed than Peter Dutton to forge a productive relationship with Mr Trump, saying his close ties with Indo-Pacific leaders would be valuable to the US President.