‘We Have No Greater Ally’: US and Australia Strengthen Military Ties

(L-R) Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles attend a lunch at Persone Italian Restaurant in Brisbane, Australia, on July 28, 2023. Sarah Friend/Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade via Getty Images

Australia’s northern air force bases will be expanded to support the rotation of a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft and American intelligence will work in Canberra next year as both nations boost military ties to counter Beijing’s aggressive expansion in the Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin joined their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defense Minister Richard Marles, in Brisbane on July 29 for the annual AUSMIN talks.