On October 21, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Todd C. Chapman met with senior civilian and military officials in Canberra, Australia for the U.S.-Australia Political-Military Talks.
Building on the success of this year’s Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), the U.S.-Australia Political-Military Talks focused on a wide range of issues, including shared strategic challenges, security cooperation, peacekeeping, and maritime capacity building. The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs also led negotiations for the United States on the U.S.-Australia Force Posture Agreement, which was signed in August at AUSMIN and directly supports to the U.S. rebalance the Asia-Pacific.
As key allies in the Pacific region, the partnership between the United States and Australia continues to grow. In addition to its significant troop contributions to Afghanistan and to counter ISIL, Australia’s partnership with the United States is further reflected in regular joint exercises, consultations, and defense trade cooperation.