SEPTEMBER 3, 2026 – Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hosted Richard Marles, Australia’s deputy prime minister and defense minister, today at the Pentagon, where the two men commemorated the 75th anniversary of the historic alliance between Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.
They also discussed how both nations are committed to the advancement of the alliance and the strengthening of deterrence throughout the Pacific region.
Signed Sep. 1, 1951, the ANZUS Treaty is a collective agreement between the three countries to protect security throughout the Pacific region. Over the past 40 years, the treaty has served primarily as an instrument of bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Australia, as well as a separate form of bilateral cooperation between Australia and New Zealand.
Hegseth started off the meeting noting that he and Marles have met in person numerous times over the past year, which he said he believes is a sign of a healthy alliance between nations.
“I think [it’s] a reflection of the fitting partnership at a personal level between our administrations, between our countries, between our militaries [and] between our defense industrial bases that goes … all the way back 75 years,” Hegseth told Marles.
“It’s great to be here again. … We’re meeting [near] the 75th anniversary of the formal alliance between Australia and the United States, and that’s been an alliance which has been the cornerstone of our foreign policy [and] our strategic policy over that period of time,” Marles told Hegseth.
During the meeting, Hegseth emphasized the importance of capable allies contributing to the collective defense by investing in their own sovereign security. He also noted the strong alignment between the U.S. and Australia’s individual national defense strategies.
“We share a common [understanding] of the complex threat picture in the world today and the need for allies to, both plan together but also ensure our capabilities match and are complementary — if, and when, [military conflict] was to have to take place,” Hegseth said.
Marles agreed and said he feels that we live in a world that is increasingly challenging and where the strategic threat is growing rather than receding.
“And, in that context, the alliance that we have and the partnership that we have — [not just] at a personal level, but very much between our two defense forces, our two countries — is as important and relevant today as it has ever been,” he added.
Regarding that partnership, the U.S. and Australia have a long history of conducting joint exercises.
In July, the air forces of the two countries joined with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force to conduct training in Australia’s Northern Territory as part of Exercise Southern Cross.
In June, U.S. Marines joined Australia and Japan’s respective defense forces for Exercise Southern Jackaroo, a combined arms and live-fire exercise in Australia.
In 2025, both the U.S. and Australian militaries participated in Exercise Talisman Sabre. The biennial flagship exercise drew more than 35,000 personnel from 19 different nations across Australia and nearby Papua New Guinea during its latest iteration.
As for future operations between the two countries, today both Hegseth and Marles lauded the recent arrival of U.S. Navy sailors in Western Australia to support Submarine Rotational Force – West, the joint military plan to station U.S. and U.K. nuclear-powered submarines in Western Australia ahead of operations in 2027.
By Matthew Olay
Pentagon News