The United States, Japan, and Australia’s defense ministers held a meeting in Australia on Sunday, November 17th, and announced that Japan will regularly send troops to northern Australia to conduct joint training with the US Marine Corps and Australian forces.
The US Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles, and Japanese Defense Minister Nakatani Gen held a trilateral meeting in Darwin, Australia.
The three defense ministers announced that starting next year, Japan will increase its participation in the “Southern Jackaroo” and “Talisman Sabre” exercises held in Australia. Australia will also take part in the “Orient Shield” exercise scheduled for 2025 in Japan.
According to Reuters, the US and its allies are increasingly concerned about China’s military presence in the Indo-Pacific region. Approximately 2,000 US Marines have been deployed in Darwin, Australia for the past six months.
During a press conference in Darwin, Australian Defense Minister Marles stated: “Today we announce that Japan will regularly dispatch the ‘Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade’ to Australia.”
Marles also told Sky News on Sunday that conducting more training with Japan and the US is “a great opportunity for our defense.”
When asked if strengthening military cooperation might anger Beijing, Marles mentioned that the decision was made to “build the best possible relationship with like-minded countries, our friends, and allies.”
On Sunday, Austin expressed his belief that the US will provide the capabilities covered in the AUKUS agreement. Under the agreement, Australia will purchase nuclear submarines from the US and collaborate with the US and UK on developing new nuclear-powered submarines.
In recent years, China has increased its military threats towards Taiwan, conducting frequent military exercises in the surrounding waters of Taiwan and even incidents of missiles falling into Japan’s exclusive economic zone waters. Japan has raised concerns and increased its military budget to counter China’s military threats.
In September of this year, China conducted a rare intercontinental ballistic missile test that landed in the Pacific Ocean, raising concerns among several Pacific countries including Australia.