Overview
- Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet US secretaries Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio in Washington on Monday for the annual AUSMIN consultations.
- The Pentagon delivered an unreleased five-month review to Canberra last week that endorsed the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program and underscored tight delivery deadlines, according to a US lawmaker.
- Marles announced in Tokyo an annual Australia–Japan defence meeting to deepen cooperation, including in cyber and space domains.
- The White House National Security Strategy identifies China as the primary strategic competitor and urges greater allied defence spending to maintain military overmatch and deter conflict over Taiwan.
- Hegseth earlier asked Australia to lift defence spending to 3.5% of GDP, a push Canberra has resisted, and this year's gathering marks 40 years of ministerial consultations.