Australia to build guided missile system by 2025 with US help

Asia-Pacific, News, US August 2, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. has pledged to help Australia in developing and manufacturing a guided multiple-launch rocket system by 2025. The announcement came from U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin who was present in Australia for the Australia-U.S. Minister (AUSMIN) dialogue.

“We are pursuing several mutually beneficial initiatives with Australia’s defense industry, and these include a commitment to help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025,” Austin said in a press conference in Queensland, Australia.

The cooperation on the guided missile system follows the U.S. trilateral defense cooperation deal between Britain and Australia that would help to provide Australia with a fleet of eight submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology. Washington is increasing its effort to forge military ties with Australia in the wake of China’s increasing military might and growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. has pledged to help Australia in reinforcing and enhancing its long-range strike capabilities. In a defense review released by Australian authorities earlier this year, it was mentioned that Canberra needs to focus on prioritizing longer-range strike capacity amid rising “potential for conflict.” Australia’s defense minister said the report found the country’s defense force was “not fit for purpose.”

Following the reports, the Australian administration has been pushing efforts to develop long-range and short-range missile systems. The U.S. defense giants, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon Technologies have also established their production units in Australia to help the country build new missile systems.

*^{A High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in operation during military exercises at Spilve Airport in Riga, Latvia, Sept. 26, 2022. (Image Credit: AP/via Twitter)}*

In response to the U.S.’s offer, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said that Canberra was “really pleased with the steps that we are taking in respect of establishing a guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise in this country.”

The announcement was made following a meeting of the U.S. Defense Secretary Lloy Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Marles and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong as part of the Australia-US Ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue. The dialogue took place in Australia last week for the first time since 2021 after being put to a halt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

AUSMIN dialogue

The AUSMIN dialogue 2023 was focused on enhancing defense cooperation and capability development as well as industrial base cooperation, and regional security integration. According to a Pentagon statement, the U.S. and Australian officials “reaffirmed their commitment to operationalize the Alliance, the United States and Australia advanced key priorities across an ambitious range of force posture cooperation efforts.”

While in Australia, the U.S. Defense Secretary and Australian Defense Minister also visited the ongoing military exercise, Talisman Sabre. The exercise included service members from Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

^{U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is welcomed to Gallipilo Barracks, Australia by Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and Defense Minister Richard Marles, on July 28, 2023. (Image Credit: Chad J. McNeeley/DOD)}

During the exercise, the Allies practiced amphibious landings and benefited from U.S. amphibious training. More than 30,000 military personnel from allied nations took part in the two-week exercise and performed multidomain warfare, naval and air drills, and different military operations.