The US says it plans “more frequent” deployments of bomber aircraft to Australia amid concerns over China’s “dangerous and escalatory behaviour” in the region.
The announcement after annual talks on Wednesday builds on a long-term trend of increased rotations of American forces to Australia, along with moves to upgrade Australian military bases and pre-position US army equipment in Australia.
Pushing back at criticism that this only increases tensions with Beijing and makes Australia a bigger target, the Australian government said the presence of American forces “provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbours”.
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, and the defence minister, Richard Marles, travelled to the US for annual talks with the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and the defence secretary, Lloyd Austin.
While China is always a significant topic on the agenda, the Australian and US representatives also used the meeting to share their fears of escalation in the Middle East and to ramp up their calls for a Gaza ceasefire.
“The ceasefire has been urgent for months. It’s never been more urgent than it is now,” Wong said at the beginning of the meeting in Annapolis, Maryland, on Tuesday local time (Wednesday Australian time).
Blinken later told reporters that the US had been in constant contact with partners across the region and had “heard a clear consensus [that] no one should escalate this conflict”. He said this message had been communicated “directly” to Iran and Israel.
The Australian government describes the US as its “closest ally and principal security partner”. The yearly talks between the two allies are known as the Australia-US Ministerial Consultations, or Ausmin.
The two sides have frequently used the talks to expand rotational visits by US forces to Australia, known as “force posture initiatives”.
These include US marines deploying to Darwin under a plan first put in place by the Gillard government and Obama administration.
Austin told reporters the two countries agreed to “continue deepening our force posture cooperation”.
“We’re also increasing the presence of rotational US forces in Australia,” Austin said.
“All this will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments.”
Marles said the latest meeting had “built on the last two in seeing a deepening of American force posture in Australia”.
“American force posture now in Australia involves every domain, land, sea, air, cyber and space – so we are seeing US Army watercraft, for example, engaging in Australia,” Marles said.
“The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbours in the region.”
Marles said he and Wong had spoken with Australia’s neighbours and had heard “genuine appreciation for the contribution that America is making to the stability and the peace of the Indo-Pacific region by its presence in Australia”.
He said this had allowed Australia and the US to conduct “a much greater range of activities and operations and exercises with our partners” including Japan and the Philippines.
Wednesday’s agenda included taking stock of “substantial progress” on the plan for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus security pact.
