US, Australia Defense Chiefs Meet... Agree to Swiftly Implement Defense Cooperation Against China

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles held talks on the 28th local time, agreeing to swiftly implement defense cooperation, including strengthening the defense posture to counter China's military might.

The two defense chiefs met in Cebu, Philippines, where the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) is taking place, and shared the consensus to expand investments in air force bases within Australia and bolster joint logistical capabilities.

Both sides agreed on the "need to swiftly implement military posture cooperation," such as the rotational deployment of U.S. military assets to Australia.

The U.S. side stated that they also discussed ways to better coordinate their approaches to deterrence in the Pacific region and support a rational strategy to maintain a favorable balance of power.

Under the AUKUS security pact among the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the countries plan to rotationally deploy up to four U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines and one British nuclear-powered attack submarine at HMAS Stirling near Perth in western Australia.

The Virginia-class USS Colorado (SSN-788) has been selected as the first U.S. Navy submarine to be deployed to Australia late next year.

The USS Colorado arrived at the Stirling naval base the previous day to begin about a month of maintenance work, with some 30 Australian civilian maintenance technicians participating to learn the repair methods for Virginia-class submarines.

The U.S. military also rotationally deploys Marine Corps units to Australian forces' facilities in Darwin, Northern Territory, northern Australia, but does not maintain a separate permanent U.S. base, instead sharing Australia's defense infrastructure.

(Photo: Getty Images)
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