NOVEMBER 15, 2024 – Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III departed today on his 12th trip to the Indo-Pacific since taking office as he continues to build upon the strong partnerships forged under his tenure throughout the United States’ priority theater of operations.
The secretary will meet with counterparts and senior officials throughout the region as he embarks on a series of engagements in Australia, the Philippines, Laos and Fiji.
The trip will showcase the United States’ unwavering commitment to the Indo-Pacific amid what Austin sees as a “new convergence” of like-minded partners throughout the region.
“We are doing more than ever alongside our allies and partners to take concrete steps toward a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Austin said ahead of his departure.
“During this trip, we will deliver results to advance cooperation, strengthen our relationships, and build an enduring network of allies and partners,” he said. “I am proud of the historic progress we’ve made over the last four years and the depth of continuing U.S. commitment to the region.”
The secretary’s first stop will be in Darwin, Australia, where Austin will participate in a trilateral defense ministerial meeting with his counterparts from Australia and Japan.
During the meeting, which follows the three leaders’ most recent engagement during the Group of Seven summit in Italy during the summer, Austin and his counterparts are expected to discuss recent progress the three nations have made with combined military training and interoperability.
Highlighting these advancements, the leaders are expected to announce that Japan will begin integrating its forces into Marine Rotational Force-Darwin rotations where they will train alongside U.S. and Australian forces beginning next year.
The three leaders will also discuss their three countries’ recent advances in combined air and missile defense and information sharing initiatives.
Austin and his counterparts will also tour Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin, which serves as a critical staging point for annual Marine rotations and regional exercises.
In previewing the visit earlier this week, a senior defense official emphasized that the upcoming meeting in Darwin further underscores the deepening ties among the U.S., Australia and Japan and represents a “concrete demonstration of just how far this trilateral relationship has come in recent years.”
Following his visit to Darwin, Austin will proceed to the Philippines where he will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos and senior government officials.
During his discussions, the secretary “will reiterate our steadfast commitment to the mutual defense treaty and discuss ways that we can continue to support the Philippines security through the implementation of the $500 million in foreign military financing that was announced during his last visit to the Philippines,” a senior official said.
The secretary will also visit multiple facilities the U.S. is funding to enhance information sharing and capability development, including a new command and control fusion center.
In addition, Austin will meet with U.S. and Philippine forces and U.S. Agency for International Development personnel who helped deliver nearly 100,000 pounds of aid in response to Typhoon Julian earlier this year.
Sites established as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines played a critical role in the humanitarian assistance operations in the wake of the storm, further demonstrating the benefits of the deepening alliance between the two countries, a senior defense official said.
The secretary will also observe a Philippine Navy tech demonstration showcasing T-12 unmanned surface vessels provided by the U.S. through foreign military financing. The T-12 is a key capability used by Philippine forces to protect its sovereignty and operate throughout its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.
Austin’s stop in the Philippines marks his fourth visit to the country since taking office, the most visits ever by a U.S. secretary of defense.
The secretary’s next stop is in Laos where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus.
U.S. defense secretaries have participated in the forum since 2010 when it was established by the 10-member block of Southeast Asian nations.
Austin will meet with a range of regional allies and partners on the sidelines of the meeting and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to regional security. During this visit, he will announce the first-ever U.S. Department of Defense vision statement for a prosperous and secure Southeast Asia.
The statement will outline the U.S. vision “for deepening our practical cooperation across Southeast Asia and is a symbol of our enduring commitment to the region,” a senior official said.
While in Laos, the secretary will enumerate several initiatives being taken by the U.S. alongside its ASEAN partners to deepen ties in the region, including an emerging defense leaders program.
In his remarks during the forum, the secretary is expected to address critical issues facing the region, including China’s aggression in the South China Sea and ways regional partners work together to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.
Austin’s final stop is in Fiji, marking the first visit to the country by a U.S. defense secretary.
While there, Austin will meet with Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa.
The secretary is expected to announce that the U.S. and Fiji will begin negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement that will empower the two countries to work more closely together.
The two countries will sign an acquisition and cross servicing agreement that will facilitate U.S. logistical support to Fiji quickly in the case of an emergency.
Austin will emphasize the United States’ continued investments in the region, including through recently announced foreign military finance grants.
Defense officials said the trip underscores Austin’s continued engagement in the region as secretary builds upon a decade of progress by U.S. administration in bringing together like-minded nations behind a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
“Secretary Austin has a very unique ability to build coalitions, stich together allies and partners, and use what I think of as a brand of defense diplomacy to bring people to the table that then translates into results,” a senior defense official said. “These networks can do very heavy lifting and hard lifting together.”
By Joseph Clark, DOD News