Lloyd Austin locks in Darwin visit for Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting with Japanese, Australian counterparts
Military cooperation, strategy, and rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific are some of the issues expected to be discussed in a hushed meeting of US, Australia and Japanese defence powerbrokers this weekend. See for details.
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In a historic first, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani will join Defence Minister Richard Marles in Darwin this weekend to discuss military cooperation, strategy, and rising tensions across the Indo-Pacific.
The gathering signifies the 14th Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting, which was established with a view to continually bolster strategic collaboration between the three nations.
Of note, both Mr Austin and Mr Nakatani enter the meeting with personal military experience, having previously put on the uniform for their respective nations.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Department of Defence spokeswoman confirmed the senior politicians would arrive this weekend.
“This is the first time this meeting has been hosted in Australia,” she said.
“Our trilateral partnership with Japan and the United States is built upon our shared values and deep trust, and is critical to regional security.”
At a press conference in Canberra, Mr Marles acknowledged a meeting had been arranged between the trio.
“In this moment, we are working increasingly more closely with countries which share values and share a commitment to the global rules based order that does very much include, obviously, the United States, and that includes Japan, and no doubt that will form a key part of the discussion that we have on the weekend.”
Mr Austin, who was personally appointed by President Joe Biden, represents one of the highest profile visits paid by a US official to the Top End, with only a handful of D.C. figures, including President Barack Obama, having braved the Darwin heat in recent memory.
Darwin has not escaped the attention of Mr Austin, who announced in August the US would increase its combat capability in Northern Australia, adding more Marines, patrol aircraft and bombers to the region.
In the same announcement, Mr Austin committed to aiding the Albanese Government in its quest to develop long-range missiles.
“By the end of the year, we’re aiming to sign two memorandums of understanding on critical munitions – the first supports manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, or GMLRS, in Australia by 2025,” he said.
“The second advances the co-production, co-sustainment, and co-development of a Precision Strike Missile, or PrSM, and as we accelerate our work together on PrSM, we agreed to stand up a joint program office in early 2025.”
Mr Nakatani’s visit comes fewer than two months after assuming the defense portfolio for the second time in his career.
Japan’s interest in the Territory has also ramped up in recent years, with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces now a regular participant in military exercises on Australian soil.
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