Australia's Defence Minister to meet US, Japan counterparts in first trilateral since Trump took office

Indian Express

4 days ago

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles is set to meet his US and Japanese counterparts this week at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, marking the first trilateral defence talks among the three countries since President Donald Trump returned to the White House. The high-level meeting will include US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani, Marles' office confirmed Thursday.
It will be Marles' first overseas visit since the centre-left Labor Party secured an increased majority in this month's national elections.
The talks will take place on the sidelines of Asia's premier security forum, which runs from May 30 to June 1, and are expected to focus on regional security cooperation, including joint exercises and intelligence sharing.
The meeting also comes as Australia prepares to make a $2 billion payment to the US submarine industrial base under the AUKUS pact—a defence partnership involving Australia, the US, and the UK. Marles had earlier discussed the deal with Hegseth in Washington in February.
The AUKUS agreement envisions Australia eventually acquiring both US-made Virginia-class submarines and a new fleet of submarines developed jointly with the UK. However, delays in US production have raised questions about delivery timelines.
Under the current schedule, the first Virginia-class submarines could arrive by 2032, while Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines are expected only by 2040.
Officials in the Trump administration have pressed Canberra to increase its defence budget to 3% of GDP. On Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government would raise spending to 2.4%, focusing on building capabilities and strengthening regional ties.
'The Government is committed to strengthening our global defence relationships, while deepening our diplomatic and defence partnerships in the Indo-Pacific,' Marles said in a statement.
Euan Graham, senior defence analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Marles' main task in Singapore will be to assure allies that Australia's current military capabilities are sufficient to respond to a crisis in the region.
He also stressed on the importance of Australia visibly supporting US nuclear deterrence, even while acquiring conventionally armed submarines. 'Conventional deterrence has to join up with nuclear deterrence to be credible,' Graham said.
Australia has faced criticism from China over the AUKUS deal, with Beijing accusing the pact of undermining nuclear non-proliferation. Canberra has pushed back, stressing that the submarines will not carry nuclear weapons and that the partnership complies with international norms.
Defence ministers, top military officials, and diplomats from across the globe are expected to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, where Marles is scheduled to deliver a speech on Saturday outlining the growing risks in the Indo-Pacific.
(With inputs from Reuters)