Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, Japanese Minister of Defense Nakatani Gen, Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun, and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III met together for the first time on November 21 in Vientiane, Laos PDR.  The defense leaders underscored their shared commitment to advance a vision for a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where international law and sovereignty are respected.

The Ministers and Secretaries emphasized the importance of close multilateral cooperation in support of regional security and stability, and underscored the importance of ASEAN centrality and unity and ASEAN-led regional architecture.  The leaders highlighted the progress made in strengthening their defense cooperation and reaffirmed their commitment to working together moving forward.