US military intelligence to work more closely with Australian counterparts in AUSMIN deal

US military intelligence specialists will be stationed in Canberra to work alongside their Australian counterparts in a new joint initiative

Foreign Minister Penny Wong with her United States counterpart, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, after a press conference at the 33rd Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled/NCA NewsWire

US military intelligence specialists will be stationed in Canberra to work alongside their Australian counterparts in a joint initiative to streamline intelligence-sharing and sharpen both nations’ analysis of strategic threats.

The move was agreed at talks on Saturday, where the US also pledged support for upgrades to Australia’s Top End “bare bases”, and committed to a new secret space partnership.

The Combined Defence Intelligence Centre will begin operations at Australian Defence Force headquarters next year, “analysing issues of shared strategic concern in the Indo-Pacific”.

Its establishment follows growing concerns over China’s rising influence over several Pacific Island countries – particularly Solomon Islands and Kiribati – and fears Beijing could eventually secure a military footprint in the region.

Defence Minister Richard Marles said the Australian-led centre would deepen the nations’ intelligence-sharing ecosystem, and help provide an Australian take on key issues to US decision-makers.

“This is less about what is shared, because we share intelligence (already). It is more about deepening the mode by which it is shared and the ability to analyse that,” he said.

Mr Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with US counterparts Lloyd Austin and Antony Blinken in Brisbane for the 33rd AUSMIN talks, against the sombre backdrop of the feared loss of four Australian Army aviators in a crash off Hamilton Island.

Mr Marles said the extent of the upgrades to RAAF bases Scherger and Curtin, in Queensland and Western Australia respectively, were likely to include new fuel and munitions storage, and expanded apron areas for more aircraft. The upgrades are expected to allow Australian and US F-35s to operate from the facilities, and potentially US strategic bombers.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles (left) and his US counterpart, Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III, at the 33rd Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) in Brisbane. Picture: Dan Peled/NCA NewsWire

“The whole focus on the northern bases is to try and make sure that there is the greatest array of capabilities that can operate from them,” he said. “The bare bases … are a really fundamental piece of the northern base architecture ... as well as the staffed bases of Tindal and Darwin.”

Mr Marles refused to say whether the space co-operation agreement would involve the development of offensive space capabilities. He said “space domain awareness” would form part of the initiative, and “that’ll probably be the extent of what any of us will ever say about what else we do in respect of co-operation involving space”.

In another key AUSMIN outcome, Mr Austin and Mr Blinken gave the green light for Australia to produce advanced missile systems from 2025. The Lockheed Martin-designed Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, or GMLRS, will initially be assembled in Australia before domestic manufacturing commences of missile components.

The talks ranged across the breadth of the nations’ “unbreakable” alliance, and included a call by Senator Wong for the US to bring its case against Australian Wikileaks founder Julian Assange “to a conclusion”.

But Mr Blinken said the US would not drop its pursuit of Mr Assange, who is fighting US attempts to extradite him from the UK.