Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently met with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, at the Pentagon. The meeting focused on advancing key priorities within the U.S.-Australia Alliance.

The discussions included shared security concerns in the Indo-Pacific region and efforts to accelerate U.S. force posture initiatives in Australia. Both leaders also talked about enhancing cooperation on munitions through their defense industrial bases and strengthening key regional partnerships.

Secretary Hegseth acknowledged Australia's recent $500 million contribution under AUKUS to the U.S. Submarine Industrial Base. He described this contribution as "a key element of advancing defense industrial collaboration between our two countries and strengthening the bilateral alliance with Australia."

Department of Defense Spokesman John Ullyot provided these details following the meeting.