This week in Australian foreign affairs: Australia conducts a multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence travels to Kiribati and Solomon Islands, The Department of Defence announces Australia’s involvement in the AUKUS Pillar II Maritime Big Play exercise, and more.
On February 17, Australian defence ministers announced that Australia, the Philippines and the United States have conducted a multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. This MCA was conducted between February 15-16 2026 and involved numerous vessels and aircraft from all nations involved. A Defence press release following the MCA affirmed “Australia’s participation underscores our commitment to regional and international cooperation in support of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”
On February 17, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released a joint statement with several other nations on the second anniversary of Alexei Navalny`s death on 16 February 2024. The statement was made jointly with Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom and reiterated demands for a “thorough and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death”. Human rights in Russia have degraded swiftly following Navalny’s death, with over 1700 people currently detained as political prisoners. Along with expressing “our deepest condolences to his family”, the statement also affirmed “we stand by the brave Russian human rights defenders and independent civil society actors that continue to work under ever greater personal risks”. In an effort to seek accountability, the statement demanded “the Russian authorities must fully comply with all their international obligations and release all political prisoners.”
On February 17, it was announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, will travel to Kiribati and Solomon Islands this week. While in Kiribati, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with the Hon Taneti Maamau, President of Kiribati and attend an official state reception with senior ministers and officials. As part of Australia’s history as Kiribati’s largest development partner, Minister Marles will also mark the construction of a new wharf and facilities that support Kiribati’s maritime security. In the Solomon Islands, the Deputy Prime Minister will meet with the Hon Jeremiah Manele, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands and other Ministers where they will discuss further opportunities for economic, development and security cooperation. As part of the visit, Minister Marles will also present a set of drones that will assist the Solomons’ Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response capabilities. Minister Marles is quoted as saying “Australia is proud to partner with the Government and people of Kiribati to realise their maritime security priorities, as we have done for three decades.”
On February 19, The Department of Defence announced Over 200 defence personnel, scientists, and industry participants from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States came together on Australia’s east coast to test state-of-the-art autonomous capabilities. This was part of an AUKUS Pillar II Maritime Big Play exercise which saw Australian-developed capabilities “at the forefront of the exercise”. During the exercises AUKUS military operators and technical experts tested next-generation capabilities such as Innovaero’s OWL-B one-way-attack munition and PentenAmio’s Next Generation Electronic Deception capability, among others. These systems form part of a broader web of autonomous systems used across the three nations. The Department said, “Australia is committed to working closely with our partners to improve joint capability to communicate with and use autonomous systems together to deter threats in the Indo-Pacific.”
Alexandra Desailly is an Australian Outlook Intern at the Australian Institute of International Affairs National Office. She is one of thirty selected for the Young Australians in International Affairs (YAIA) Emerging Leaders Dialogues and the winner of the YAIA Policy Pitch Competition. She holds a Bachelor of International Studies with Distinction from UNSW; her work focuses on European current affairs, national security, and diplomacy.
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