As part of the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy, which led Australia to break its submarine delivery contract with France, the two countries announced on Thursday the expansion of their military cooperation. All types of US military aircraft can be deployed to Australia on a rotational basis under the “Aukus” cooperation agreement. This is what Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton said after a meeting in Washington. “We have also established combined logistical support and maintenance capability to support our enhanced activities,” which will also benefit the submarines.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the meeting endorsed "important force positioning initiatives that will expand our access and presence in Australia."
It was an absolute pleasure to have met face-to-face with @SecDef at the Pentagon to discuss the Alliance, ANZUS, Australia-US defense cooperation & #AUKUS - an enhanced trilateral security partnership with the United States & United Kingdom.
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- Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) September 16, 2021
The United States has 200,000 troops deployed outside its borders, but no base in Australia, with the exception of a task force of Marines hosted every summer since 2012 in Darwin, and intended to intervene quickly and in a coordinated manner. with Australian relief efforts in the event of natural and humanitarian disasters. Last June, Peter Dutton announced a reinforcement of the contingent "in our own security interests". The Marine Rotational Force and the Australian Defense Force regularly conduct an exercise called "Crocodile Response", they did it again two weeks ago on the Tiwi Islands.
The United States and its allies are looking for ways to push back China's growing power and influence, especially its military build-up, pressure on Taiwan, and deployments in the contested South China Sea.
To read alsoAustralian submarines: the underside of the breach of the "contract of the century"