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Military Representatives Forum
The MILREPs forum serves as an annual senior-level dialogue between the USINDOPACOM commander and the Chief of the Australian Defence Force Adm. David Johnston AC RAN. During the bilateral defense forum, Paparo and Johnston advanced defense cooperation, strategic alignment, and interoperability between the two nations.
The U.S.-Australia MILREPs Forum is a critical senior military engagement that aligns defense priorities and establishes a foundation for the Australia–United States Ministerial Consultations, the principal forum through which allied leadership elevates the alliance's most consequential bilateral decisions to the highest levels of government
Paparo spent his first day engaging with senior Australian officials to include meetings with the Hon. Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence, the Hon. Senator Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the Hon. Pat Conroy MP, Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for Pacific Island Affairs.
MILREPs began with a ceremonial welcome for Paparo and a meeting with Johnston at the administrative headquarters of the Australian Defence Force followed by a speaking engagement with students at the Australian Defense College. The leaders ended the day attending the Last Post ceremony with Johnston at the War Memorial.
The visit continued with a third day of engagements with senior Australian officials, conducting meetings with officials from the Office of National Intelligence, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute before attending the Spirit of the Alliance Dinner, an annual event hosted by the American Australian Association to celebrate the enduring partnership between the United States and Australia.
Paparo visits Darwin
Following several days in Canberra, Paparo transited to Darwin, Australia, for a meeting with the Hon. Lia Finocchiaro, Australian Northern Territory Chief Minister and a visit to Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin for a troop engagement.
Australians and Americans have fought side by side in every major U.S. military conflict of the past century, including World Wars I & II, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, and in present-day operations against violent extremist organizations like Al Qaida, the Islamic State, and their global affiliates. The United States, Australia, and New Zealand first formalized this partnership with the ANZUS Security Treaty of 1951. Seventy-five years later, the Treaty remains the foundation of our security relationship with Australia.
USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, prevailing in conflict.
Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visits Canberra and Darwin, Australia while attending U.S. - Australian Military Representatives Forum May 4-7, 2026.