US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin commits to assisting Australia in manufacturing guided missile systems within two years, strengthening both nations' defence capabilities.
During his visit to the eastern Australian city of Brisbane, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed the United States intention to aid Australia in producing guided missile systems.
This partnership comes as Australia seeks to bolster its military capabilities, particularly in long-range strike capacities, in response to various regional security threats, including China's escalating assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The collaboration is mutually beneficial, as the US aims to replenish its own arms stockpiles, which have been under strain due to supplying Ukrainian armed forces in their fight against Russia's invasion.
In a press conference, Austin stated, “We are pursuing several mutually beneficial initiatives with Australia's defence industry, and these include a commitment to help Australia produce guided multiple launch rocket systems ... by 2025.”
He also emphasized that Washington would expedite Australia's access to priority munitions.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles expressed satisfaction with the ongoing efforts, saying Canberra was, “really pleased with the steps that we are taking in respect of establishing a guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise in this country.”
He added that the collaboration would result in an " increased tempo of visits from American nuclear-powered submarines to our waters."
The announced project entails Australia's development of guided multiple-launch rocket systems, commonly referred to as GMLRS.
The announcement followed a meeting of Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, part of the Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue. The annual talks were previously put on hold for two years (in 2020 and 2021) due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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