WASHINGTON -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with his Australian counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles, in the Pentagon to discuss on July 13, the unbreakable alliance between the United States and Australia. Secretary Austin shared his appreciation for Australia’s contributions to upholding regional and global security and both leaders agreed to continue working bilaterally and multilaterally to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.

The two leaders shared views on the regional security environment, affirmed momentum in bilateral defense cooperation related to force posture and defense technology collaboration, and reviewed progress under the trilateral AUKUS partnership. The two leaders are looking forward to continuing to advance U.S. and Australian defense cooperation at AUSMIN.