Peter Dutton’s US missile memo: share your know-how

Peter Dutton signals new access to US missile technology ahead of push for unprecedented co-operation at Washington talks.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton with Australian and US troops during joint exercises near Townsville. Picture: Defence Department

Peter Dutton has signalled greater access to US missile technology will be a key test of the ANZUS ­alliance, ahead of an Australian push for unprecedented defence industry co-operation at high-level talks in Washington.

The Defence Minister, who will travel to the US with Foreign Minister Marise Payne next week for the discussions, said the allies needed to “pool our know-how and resources” to develop new long-range strike weapons, ­offensive cyber and unmanned capabilities – including autonomous and “swarming” drones.

But Mr Dutton, speaking at a closed American Chamber of Commerce in Australia session, said doing so would require the US to deliver on its commitment to ­integrate its closest allies’ defence industries into its congressionally mandated National Technology and Industrial Base.

The NTIB was expanded in 2017 to include Australia and Britain, after the inclusion of Canada in 1993. Despite promising a ­“defence free-trade area” for America’s closest allies, it has so far achieved only limited success in breaking down US export ­control barriers.

Mr Dutton, ahead of the Australia – US Ministerial Consultations, said Washington’s support for Australia’s proposed sovereign guided weapons enterprise would strengthen the nations’ military interoperability. “Bilateral industry support for the enterprise will be a practical demonstration of the strength of our inclusion in the US National Technology and ­Industrial Base,” he said.

Marise Payne. Picture: Martin Ollman

Mr Dutton and Senator Payne will arrive in the US on September 16 for the “2+2” AUSMIN talks, after meeting counterparts in South Korea, Indonesia and India.

The Defence Minister said he was confident his first face-to-face meeting with Biden administration counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken would “see our alliance level-up”.

Speaking at the same event, US charge d‘affaires Michael Goldman said he expected the AUSMIN talks to deliver “ambitious announcements on force posture, joint exercises and deployments”.

“Exercise Talisman Sabre and (the US marine deployment in Darwin) are excellent initiatives and I expect them to be built upon,” Mr Goldman said.

“On the civilian side I think you will see a renewed focus on Covid, but we will also see clear-eyed recognition of the challenges posed by our strategic competitors and a reinvigorated commitment to dealing with those challenges ­together.”

Scott Morrison will seek to progress the meeting’s outcomes during an expected trip to Washington in October or November.

Growing Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea and Beijing’s trade bans against $20bn worth of Australian exports will be key AUSMIN agenda items.

Mr Dutton said the Australia-US alliance had become more ­important in combating Beijing’s “increasingly coercive” behaviour.

“(China’s) activities undermine the sovereignty of other nations and grate against the rules-based international order – an order from which they have happily benefited for decades,” he said. “We must invigorate new energy into defence thinking and preparedness, so we are poised and ready for any eventuality.”

The year’s AUSMIN talks will occur against the backdrop of the US global force posture review, which is expected to position China and the Indo Pacific as America’s top strategic priorities.

Mr Dutton said Australia and the US needed to work more closely together “to achieve our force posture and defence capability objectives”.

“That must include giving greater practical effect to Australia’s inclusion in the US National Technology and Industrial Base. It means both our governments and defence industry sectors working to reduce barriers to collaboration and integration.

“Our respective national industries and small businesses have unique skills. They are at the forefront of innovation in certain fields; they lead technological ­developments in distinct areas.

“Through co-operation, we can surge ahead, creating a whole that is far greater than the sum of our parts,” he told the event, organised and hosted by former Australian ambassador to the US Joe Hockey, now president of Bondi Partners.

Mr Dutton said it was vital for Australia to continue to invest in its core military capabilities, ­including submarines, frigates and fighter jets. But, in a reference to the government’s push to rapidly acquire new US guided missiles, he said Australia needed the ability “to hold a potential adversary’s forces and infrastructure at risk from a greater distance”.

He said the Australian Defence Force – which does not yet have a single armed drone – also needed to acquire new and inexpensive unmanned systems, “which can undertake multifaceted missions, be used in a swarm capacity, or teamed with traditional manned capabilities”.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute chief executive Michael Shoebridge said the US NTIB had underdelivered on its sweeping ambition, and it was important to focus on specific initiatives to ­address key strategic challenges.

“If there is one specific thing right now it is missile production in Australia,” he said. “That involves tightly held commercial and government intellectual property, and making a decision to have money spent in Australia rather than in the US, buying from their local production facility.”

He said dispersing US missile production to supplies in a conflict made strategic sense, but “it makes less sense if you are a congress-person with a missile production facility in your district”.

Mr Shoebridge said the proposed initiative would also have to overcome the lingering influence of Donald Trump’s “America First” mantra in President Joe Biden’s economic platform.

The Morrison government announced a $1bn plan in March to establish a sovereign guided weapons enterprise producing US-designed missiles in Australia. The government hopes the initiative will supply hi-tech weapons for both the ADF and the US military.