This week in Australian foreign affairs: Marles to travel to the United States to meet with Pete Hegseth; Wong and Marles welcome Indonesian Foreign Minister and Defence Minister; Albanese government announces increased investment in counter-drone capabilities
On 24 August, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles announced he will travel to the United States this week. He will visit Washington, DC, to meet with Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth and other senior Administration officials. He also plans to participate in several defence and industry engagements. As stated in his office’s press release, “I was pleased to speak with Secretary Hegseth at the Shangri La Dialogue in May, and welcome the opportunity in Washington to build on our valuable discussions of shared defence and security matters”. He continued, “Given the shared challenges we face in our region, I look forward to reaffirming our commitment to the Alliance and advancing our strong partnership.”
The Hon Richard Marles and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, welcomed Indonesian Foreign Minister His Excellency Sugiono and Defence Minister His Excellency Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin to Canberra on 28 August. The Deputy Prime Minister will also host Minister Sjafrie for the annual Australia-Indonesia Defence Ministers’ Meeting. The discussions will focus on topics such as deepening defence cooperation, increased education and training exchanges, and more complex joint exercises and enhanced interoperability. Hon Richard Marles stated, “Australia is deepening ties and increasing the complexity of our engagement with our closest regional partners, especially Indonesia, in response to an increasingly challenging and uncertain security environment.”
The Albanese Government announced on 27 August that it will ramp up investment in counter-drone capabilities for the ADF. The $1.3 billion investment aims to accelerate the acquisition of counter-drone capabilities for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to protect personnel and military assets. This builds on contracts previously announced by the Albanese Government, which have sought the rapid introduction of at least 120 of the world’s most capable threat detectors and drone-defeating technologies. The investment will demonstrate viable counter-drone capability by December 2025, which will include Australian command and control capability, effector systems, sensor systems, and domestically delivered integration and capability assurance. Minister for Defence Industry, the Honourable Pat Conroy, stated, “This project is both a benchmark and a blueprint for how we continue to deliver speed to capability.“Counter-drone technology is critical to keeping our ADF members safe, and that’s why the Government is ensuring our soldiers, sailors and aviators are provided with the best technology to protect them.”
Emily Mosley is the Projects and Publications Manager for the AIIA National Office.
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