SYDNEY: 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 Australia–US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) talks in Annapolis, Maryland, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said there would be an increase in the presence of rotational US 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.
There are no US military bases in Australia, but the northern city of Darwin hosts a US Marine Rotational Force six months each year and the US 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.
“The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbours in the region,” Marles added.
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