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Hypersonic cruise missile co-production, bomber rotations, cyber coordination and streamlined export processes have featured prominently among a raft of joint military coordination changes announced at the most recent 40th Australia-US Ministerial Consultations this week.
Australia and the United States recently unveiled the package of new defence, economic and regional cooperation initiatives during the 40th Australia–US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) held in Washington DC on 8 December this year.
During the meeting, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong connected with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.
Secretary Hegseth has previously spoken candidly about defence spending and infrastructure expectations that the US advocates towards its allies. The meeting was a crucial milestone, a first for both secretaries Rubio and Hegseth in their new roles since the successful October 2025 leaders’ meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Crucially during the meeting, Secretary Hegseth endorsed a two-year roadmap for the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise with Australia, including co-production and co-sustainment of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, expanded sustainment of AIM-9X and Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and new cooperation on maritime strike and interceptor systems.
He also outlined a streamlined export controls process with blanket third-party transfer approvals for Australia, aimed at easing industrial collaboration under AUKUS.
“So on the defence side, we’re working on force posture; we’re working on defence industrial cooperation,” Secretary Hegseth said.
“First on force posture initiatives, we’re upgrading the infrastructure on airbases in Queensland and the Northern Territory. That allows for additional US bomber rotations. We’re upgrading logistics and infrastructure in Darwin so more US Marines can do rotational deployments and pre-positioning MV-22 Ospreys. This establishes new and resilient logistics networks across Australia.
“We’re deepening our cooperation on the defence industrial base – cooperation on guided weapons production and lethal capabilities, two-year roadmaps on Australia’s guided weapons and explosive ordinance enterprise, groundbreaking cooperative actions on things like GMLRS – Guided Missile Launch Rocket Systems – and precision strike missiles.
“And we’re working towards coproduction and co-sustainment of hypersonic attack cruise missiles – co-sustainment air-to-air missiles cooperative programs across the board, including Mark 54 torpedoes.”
Overall, the theme of the meeting focused on maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, acknowledging “growing threats to peace” and the two countries’ pledges to strengthen regional engagement to counter economic coercion.
Infrastructure and economic resilience initiatives also featured prominently with Australia committed to work with the US, Japan and the Philippines on advancing the Luzon Economic Corridor.
Both governments reaffirmed extensive development and security cooperation with Papua New Guinea, including digital infrastructure partnerships, upgrades to Lae Port, enhanced cargo screening, and bolstered disaster management capabilities through PNG’s National Disaster Center.
They also celebrated completion of the Vaka Submarine Cable to Tuvalu (jointly financed with Taiwan, New Zealand and Japan) as part of a push to build secure communications networks across the Pacific.
In a new push to address increasing national security demand online, a new bilateral working group was announced to target online scam operations, while updated intelligence-sharing arrangements between AUSTRAC and the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network will be created to enhance efforts to combat transnational crime.
Both parties have agreed to establish a bilateral, interagency working group to combat online scam operations; and working with the US Congress, the US Department of State plans to invest more than US$10 million and Australia will invest up to $10 million, including funding to hold another Pacific Cyber Week.
Australian Deputy PM Marles highlighted the increasing level of US military presence in Australia across air, sea, land, space and cyber domains, with nearly 900 Australian defence personnel currently embedded in US commands.
“It is very much full steam ahead in terms of the alliance, in terms of the progress on AUKUS, in preparing ourselves for the establishment of Submarine Rotational Force – West at the end of 2027,” Deputy PM Marles said.
“That is a significant moment in the journey of AUKUS. But right now, we’ve had an increased number of visits of US nuclear‑powered submarines to Australia, including the USS Vermont, which has been at HMAS Stirling over the last six weeks or so where it’s undergone the most extensive maintenance that a US nuclear submarine has undertaken outside of the United States.
“And we are really pleased with the progress that we are seeing in terms of building Australia’s capabilities to ultimately be able to operate our own nuclear‑powered submarine capability going forward.
“Across every domain – air, sea and ground, but also space and cyber – (we are working) to have the most extensive American force posture that we have seen, in terms of the breadth of that, in the Australian continent.
“And that is so important going forward to make very clear in our region that Australia and America stand side by‑ side in working together to contribute to the peace and security of the Indo‑Pacific. As we meet today, there are almost 900 Australian service men and women who are embedded in the United States defence forces across the US. Indeed, the deputy commanders of the US Army, US Navy and the US Air Force in the Pacific are all now institutionally Australian.”
Both parties reaffirmed plans to establish Submarine Rotational Force - West at HMAS Stirling as early as 2027 and schedule increased US submarine visits after the successful maintenance of the USS Vermont in Western Australia.
In addition, it was confirmed that Australia will deliver its next $1 billion payment towards expanding US submarine industrial capacity, bringing Australia’s contribution to US$2 billion. AUSMIN 2025 also advanced the Critical Minerals Framework signed by US President Trump and Australian Prime Minister Albanese in October.
The meeting also supported Alcoa’s accelerated push into gallium production by 2026 and establishment of an Export Finance Australia office in Washington.
“We’re also building on the historic framework and critical minerals cooperation that’s been mentioned already by President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese, signed in October,” Secretary Hegseth said.
“Critical minerals and rare earths are a huge part of ensuring both countries can operate the way we need to in that region and around the world.
“We applaud Australia’s upcoming delivery of an additional $1 billion to help expand US submarine production capacity. We’re strengthening AUKUS so that works for America, for Australia and for the UK.”
Contrasting against the current hardline on immigration management in the US, both parties also announced that all Australian citizens will be eligible for the US Global Entry program, expediting secure entry into the country from 15 December this year.
