The United States said Saturday it will help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025, with the two countries stepping up cooperation in the face of China's growing influence over Pacific Island nations.
The commitment is among "several mutually beneficial initiatives" that the Pentagon is pursuing with Australia's defense industry, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a press conference following bilateral security talks in Brisbane.
The United States is also "racing to accelerate Australia's access to priority munitions through a streamlined acquisition process," he added.
Earlier in the day, Austin and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong for an annual dialogue, known as the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations.
The two nations have been ramping up collaborative defense efforts amid China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, including through a plan for Canberra to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under a three-way security partnership involving Britain, known as AUKUS.
