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The nations have renewed their commitments to strengthening defence industry collaboration.
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Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has met with her UK counterpart, Minister for Defence Procurement Jeremy Quin, to discuss the nations’ shared commitment to building defence industrial base co-operation.
According to Minister Price, the pair discussed their respective governments’ approaches to building defence industry capability.
“Australia’s 2020 Defence Strategic Update and Force Structure Plan and the UK’s ongoing reviews of national defence policies highlight the importance of like-minded co-operation on shared defence industry challenges and opportunities,” Minister Price said.
“I spoke to Minister Quin with pride about how the Morrison government has supported Australian businesses within the defence sector throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The recently announced $1 billion in economic recovery initiatives to support defence industry demonstrates the government’s flexible and quick response.”
Ministers Price and Quin also discussed the process of the nations’ respective defence programs, including Australia’s Bushmaster vehicle delivery, the UK’s MQ-9B Sky Guardian program, the opening of Australia’s new F-35 MRO facility, and Naval Shipbuilding programs working on the delivery of Type 26 and Hunter Class frigates.
“This is the largest defence acquisition Australia has undertaken in partnership with the UK,” Minister Price said.
“I reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to this program and reinforced the substantial opportunities for Australian industry.”
Minister Price also welcomed the recent signing of the memorandum of understanding by Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds and the UK’s Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace.
The MoU reinforces both countries’ commitment to collaborating to build and deliver the next generation of frigates, and maximising mutual opportunities.
“We are both looking forward to further discussions and we hope to reconvene the Australia-UK Defence Industry Dialogue this year, which we will co-chair,” Minister Price concluded.
Related: Defence funds $1.6m in tech research projects]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
