Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles on December 8 in Washington, D.C. The meeting marked the 40th anniversary of the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN). During these discussions, the leaders agreed on several new initiatives to enhance security, economic cooperation, and infrastructure development in both countries and across the Indo-Pacific region.
The officials reaffirmed their commitment to promoting stability in the Indo-Pacific by countering threats to peace and fostering regional growth through partnerships such as the Quad Leaders’ Summit. The United States and Australia plan to increase collaboration on critical infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. This includes supporting economic corridors in the Philippines, advancing digital infrastructure in Papua New Guinea (PNG), redeveloping Lae Port with improved cargo inspection capabilities, and strengthening disaster management at PNG’s National Disaster Center.
Both governments praised recent achievements like completing the Vaka Submarine Cable to Tuvalu—a $56 million project jointly funded by multiple partners including Taiwan, New Zealand, and Japan—and expressed intent to expand secure ICT networks throughout the region. Plans were announced for increased trilateral cooperation with Japan on air defense training and information sharing, along with continued maritime activities involving the Philippines.
To combat transnational crime, a bilateral working group will be formed targeting online scam operations. There is also a renewed agreement between AUSTRAC (Australia) and FinCEN (U.S.) to share financial intelligence against serious crime. Both sides committed funds—over USD $10 million from the U.S., up to AUD $10 million from Australia—for cyber capacity building initiatives like another Pacific Cyber Week.
Looking ahead to 2026—the 75th anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty—the two countries pledged deeper military cooperation through expanded joint defense initiatives and industrial base integration. "The Principals praised the positive trajectory of both countries’ investments in defense capabilities and infrastructure as the Alliance builds out our force posture and defense industrial cooperation to respond to the demands of the Indo-Pacific strategic environment." They also confirmed progress on AUKUS submarine projects; Australia is set to invest another billion dollars into U.S. submarine production facilities.
Additional defense commitments include upgrades at Australian Air Force bases for U.S. aircraft rotations, expansion of Marine Rotational Force-Darwin logistics capacity, establishment of combined logistics nodes within Australia, creation of a U.S. Oversight Group for force posture administration, ongoing support for Submarine Rotational Force-West starting as early as 2027 at HMAS Stirling, shared development pathways for missile technologies such as hypersonic cruise missiles, sustainment agreements for air-to-air missiles like AIM-9X/AMRAAMs, as well as efforts toward streamlined export controls under existing arms regulations.
On economic cooperation, leaders stressed rapid implementation of their Critical Minerals Framework signed earlier by President Trump and Prime Minister Albanese. The framework aims at securing supply chains vital for national security sectors; Alcoa’s planned gallium production was cited as progress toward this goal expected by 2026. Strategic finance collaboration will deepen with Export Finance Australia establishing an office in Washington D.C., while coordinated letters from EFA and EXIM Bank totaling $600 million will help expand Tronox’s rare earth projects—key elements supporting minerals supply chains between both nations.
Efforts are underway for possible reserve mechanisms related to critical minerals supply chains as well as future Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements designed to prevent or investigate customs violations.
From December 15, 2025 all Australian citizens will be eligible for Global Entry status when traveling into the United States—streamlining entry procedures between both nations.
"The Principals welcomed EFA and Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) issuing coordinated Letters of Support/Interest worth a combined total of $600 million to Tronox to support a planned expansion of the company’s rare earth and minerals projects in Australia, which in turn will support a key critical minerals supply chain in the United States."