🤯 Have you seen our AI stock pickers’ 2024 results? 84.62%! Grab November’s list now.Pick Stocks with AI

US to increase force projection from Australia in face of 'coercive' China

Published 08/06/2024, 06:14 PM
Updated 08/07/2024, 02:48 AM
© Reuters. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands, during the 2024 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the State Department in Washington, U.S., August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia will begin co-manufacturing guided weapons with the US next year to boost supply for allies in the Indo Pacific and increase a US military presence in the country, including bomber aircraft, the two nations said after annual defence talks.

Australia and the United States are already working to upgrade air bases in northern and western Australia, which are closer to potential flashpoints with China in the South China Sea than Australia's capital of Canberra.

After annual AUSMIN talks in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there would be an increase in the presence of rotational U.S. forces in Australia.

"This will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments," he said.

In opening remarks Austin said the two allies faced shared security challenges including "coercive behaviour" by China.

A joint statement released after the AUSMIN talks expressed concern over Chinese military activity around Taiwan, and China's excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea.

They "noted grave concern about China's dangerous and escalatory behavior toward Philippine vessels lawfully operating within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone".

There are no U.S. military bases in Australia, but the northern city of Darwin hosts a U.S. Marine Rotational Force six months of each year and the U.S. is building facilities for its marines and visiting air squadrons within Australian bases.

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles said the presence of United States forces in Australia contributed to deterrence in the Indo Pacific region, and there would be closer collaboration on guided weapons manufacture in Australia.

Australia will begin co-manufacturing guided missiles next year, including the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) used in Ukraine.

Australia is also testing a Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) with the United States, which Australia said it will consider fielding as its first hypersonic weapon for fighter jets, the joint statement said.

"The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbors in the region," Marles said.

Japan would increase exercises with U.S. Marines in Darwin, while Australia and the U.S. would hold regular exercises in the Philippines exclusive economic zone, the statement said.

The statement mentioned Australia's strategic Indian Ocean territory, Cocos Islands, for the first time, saying the United States welcomed Australia's planned infrastructure upgrades there and supported Australia's completion of this work.

The Cocos Islands, with a population of 600, sits 3,000 km (1,864 miles) west of the Australian mainland and is described by the Australian Defence Force as key to its maritime surveillance operations in the Indian Ocean, where China is increasing submarine activity.

© Reuters. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands, during the 2024 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the State Department in Washington, U.S., August 5, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

Australia has said it will start construction on an expanded airfield on the island this year, to carry heavier military aircraft, including the submarine-hunting P-8A Poseidon.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Justin Bassi said the "clarity on the threat from Beijing and support for the Philippines" in the joint statement was "vital" support for Manila.

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.