Washington will help Australia create a missile manufacturing and exporting industry, officials said Saturday following high-level talks between the two countries.
“We hope to see missile manufacturing begin in Australia within the next two years,” Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters, describing the initiative as a boost for his country’s defense and industrial backbone.
“We are very pleased with the steps we are taking to establish a guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise in this country,” Marles added.
Australia will work on developing guided multiple launch rocket systems, or GMLRS.
Following meetings with Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin traveled to Brisbane for the announcement.
Washington will collaborate with Australia to strengthen its embryonic domestic missile industry in order to secure a stable pipeline for its own military forces in the future.
The crisis in Ukraine has put a burden on US military supply chains, rapidly depleting supplies of missiles and other armaments.
Australia, on the other hand, is actively overhauling its armed forces, shifting focus to long-range attack capabilities in an effort to keep potential adversaries like China at bay.
Canberra has also agreed to renovate military bases in the country’s strategically crucial north, allowing them to host training exercises and increased rotations of US soldiers.
“We’ve made significant progress in terms of American force posture initiatives,” Marles added.
With AFP