Senior ministers are travelling to the US for key talks with their counterparts after the Pentagon’s long-awaited review endorsed the AUKUS nuclear submarine pact.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong fly to Washington DC on Monday to meet US secretaries Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio for the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.
Mr Marles, who also serves as defence minister, stopped in Tokyo on Sunday, where he announced the establishment of an annual defence meeting between Australia and Japan.
“It will involve meeting with our departments of our defence forces and representatives from our intelligence committees,” he told reporters in Japan.
“Japan is our trusted and indispensable partner, and this is about deepening the defence relationship, which is very significant.”
Mr Marles said talks would involve how both nations’ defence establishments could work together across areas including cyber and space to uphold a “free and open Indo Pacific domain”.
The Pentagon handed its five-month review to the Albanese government last week. It has not been made public.
Mr Marles and Senator Wong spruiked the strength of the alliance between Australia and the US, describing it as “fundamental to our national security”.
“AUSMIN is an invaluable forum to set the strategic direction for the alliance, including on defence and security,” Mr Marles said in a statement.
“I look forward to advancing our strong defence partnership, including through AUKUS and our longstanding US Force Posture Initiatives in Australia.”
Senator Wong said the US was Australia’s “principal ally and strategic partner”.
The $368 billion AUKUS defence pact to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines was endorsed in the Pentagon’s review.
“The report correctly determined that there are critical deadlines that all three countries have to meet,” US Congressman Joe Courtney, who co-chairs the Friends of Australia Caucus, said last week.
“Therefore, maintaining disciplined adherence to schedule is paramount.”
This year’s AUSMIN meeting will mark 40 years of consultations between Australian and US defence and foreign affairs ministers.
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