Australian defense chief doubles down on trilateral ties but rules out Asia pact
News Context
At a glance
- Singapore—Australia is strengthening its trilateral military cooperation with Japan and the United States, but is not pursuing a broader Indo-Pacific collective defense pact at this time.
- Marles said the three nations are working to enhance their combined capabilities by "trilateralizing bilateral activities." This approach aims to improve the capacity of each country.
- The countries are working toward building a networked architecture to bolster their defense capabilities.
Australia Boosts Military Cooperation with Japan and US
Updated June 03, 2025
Singapore—Australia is strengthening its trilateral military cooperation with Japan and the United States, but is not pursuing a broader Indo-Pacific collective defense pact at this time. Richard Marles, Australia’s defense chief, discussed the country’s approach to regional security at the Shangri-La Dialog security conference.
Marles said the three nations are working to enhance their combined capabilities by “trilateralizing bilateral activities.” This approach aims to improve the capacity of each country.
One key area of focus is air and missile defense. The countries are working toward building a networked architecture to bolster their defense capabilities.