AUSMIN – Press conference Annapolis, Maryland

Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken: Good afternoon. In March, the USS Annapolis submarine visited Australia. Today, we're very pleased to welcome Aussie friends to Annapolis. To our colleagues, to our partners, to our friends. Foreign Minister Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Marles, Penny, Richard, thank you for an incredibly productive day. We're so grateful not only to have you here, but to have had a really terrific session at the 34th AUSMIN that's been held between our countries. And of course, grateful to my friend and partner Secretary Austin, also to our hosts here, including Vice Admiral Davids and the Naval Academy for the incredible hospitality today.

If you'll forgive me, before getting into what we discussed in AUSMIN, I do want to say a few words about the Middle East. We continue to work intensely to deescalate tensions in the Middle East and to prevent the spread of conflict. Over the past few days, we've been in constant contact with partners in the region and well beyond. In those conversations, we've heard a clear consensus, no one should escalate this conflict. We've been engaged in intense diplomacy with allies and partners, communicating that message directly to Iran. We communicated that message directly to Israel. Our commitment to Israel's security is an ironclad. We will continue to defend Israel against attacks from terrorist groups and their sponsors, just as we'll continue to defend our troops. But everyone in the region should understand that further attacks only perpetuate conflict, instability, insecurity for everyone, and further attacks only raise the risk of dangerous outcomes that no one can predict and no one can fully control.

It's urgent that everyone in the region takes stock at the situation, understand the risk of miscalculation and make decisions that will calm tensions, not exacerbate them. That's particularly true given the decisive moment that we're at in the ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. President Biden spoke today to President El-Sisi of Egypt and to Amir Tamim of Qatar. These are the two countries that, along with the United States, are mediating negotiations to reach a ceasefire, to get the release of hostages. As the leaders discussed, the negotiations have now reached a final stage, and they agreed on the urgency of bringing this process to closure, concluding that agreement and avoiding any action that could somehow disrupt it is the only path ending the conflict in Gaza and bringing calm to the region. It's critical that all parties work to finalise an agreement as soon as possible.

Now, from day one of this administration, we have been laser focused on realising a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. I just got back from my 18th trip to the region in this in this job. A big part of that trip was with Secretary Austin. We did two plus twos with Philippines and with Japan. I was at ASEAN with Foreign Minister Wong. We were together also for the quad meeting Japan. At the heart of our work in the Indo-Pacific is our alliance with Australia. Today, yet another step forward in deepening, strengthening that alliance. President Biden has called it an anchor for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and around the world. It's enduring - more than 70 years. Our countries, working together, have made our people a little bit more free, more secure, more prosperous.

But just over the past three and a half years, I believe we've made the relationship stronger than it's ever been. We've enhanced our defence cooperation, including expanded marine rotations through Darwin. We created AUKUS with the UK to bolster regional and global security, to turbocharge our defence industrial bases. We had the first cohort of Australian workers who just arrived in Pearl Harbor for training and maintenance on nuclear powered submarines. And we continue to broaden the scope of our partnership, from collaboration on advanced AI and quantum, to combating disinformation.

When Prime Minister Albanese and President Biden were last together, they talked about and agreed on plans to really advance what we call an Innovation Alliance. They inaugurated this during the state visit in October, and they continue, and we continue to elevate science, technology and clean energy collaboration as a fundamental part of the work that we're doing together. Through our critical minerals Task Force for strengthening supply chains, for components that are essential to electric vehicles, to batteries, to solar panels, many of the things that will be at the heart of the 21st century economy, and they're also critical to combating climate change. Over the past just two and a half years, the US has invested more than $5 billion in Australia for critical minerals. Yesterday, we also announced a partnership using satellite imagery to better manage natural resources and to help us tackle climate change.

Throughout AUSMIN, we also discussed threats to our shared vision of a free and open Indo Pacific, a region that's stable, it's peaceful, it's prosperous, were sovereignty and international law respected where human rights are promoted and protected. We agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and countering any attempts to coerce. We are united on the need to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and to resist any actions that escalate tensions or undermine the status quo. We're also committed to deepening, strengthening the architecture that upholds the shared vision for the region, and working more and more with other allies, with other partners, to advance the shared vision that we have. We've been enhancing our cooperation with Pacific Island countries. We're taking, of course, the next steps on AUKUS. We're advancing an affirmative agenda for the quad, where Penny and I were just engaged a few days ago. We reaffirmed the importance also of bridging the Indo Pacific and the transatlantic. Very grateful that Australia is the largest non-NATO military contributor to Ukraine, providing air defence capabilities, to helping train Ukrainian personnel in the United Kingdom. Fundamentally, we agree with Prime Minister Albanese that, as he put it, ours is an alliance for the bright future, because it's an alliance for a better future. Lloyd and I are both incredibly grateful to Penny and Richard for their partnership and of their friendship. Thank you very much.

Foreign Minister, Penny Wong: Can I first thank Secretary Blinken, Tony, and Secretary Austin, Lloyd, for hosting Richard and I at this remarkable facility on these beautiful grounds, and we really appreciate the opportunity to be here.

If I may first start with, just to reiterate and articulate Australia's support for what Secretary Blinken just said in relation to the Middle East. We again endorse what he has said, urging all to deescalate. And like him, Australia also underlines the risk to all in the region of escalation and of miscalculation. I think Secretary Blinken said, this is a decisive moment in terms of ceasefire, and we continue to add our voice to the support for the ceasefire outlined by President Biden and endorsed by Security Council.

This is our third AUSMIN together. They have all been really warm, open, trusting engagements, and this one particularly so. It's been an opportunity in this meeting to continue strengthening our alliance, deepening our alliance, because what we want is an alliance that is always fit for the strategic circumstances that we face, which, as you all know, are increasingly complex and increasingly challenging.

So I thank all of my colleagues for the transparent and constructive discussion we have had on so many substantial issues, and the quality of that discussion. As Secretary Blinken’s comments demonstrated, as the joint statement makes clear, we have covered a lot of ground. Foremost in our discussion is how we work together to assure the character of the Indo-Pacific. An Indo-Pacific that is peaceful, open and prosperous. And working together on what that requires from all of us. To step up our delivering the region, to step up our collaboration with others in the region, to work across shared priorities, as we have been over these last years, on everything from infrastructure, to sustainable development, to cyberspace to air connectivity, to health and of course, on security and conflict prevention. Each of us is combining all our elements of national power towards maintaining peace and deterring conflict, and together, we work to ensure that no state ever concludes that the benefits of conflict in our region outweighs the costs.

You would also see, as Secretary Blinken has said, we have made a range of other announcements which demonstrate the continuing broadening of our partnership. Yesterday, endorsed the US Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation. It is about an investment in the protection of democracy, one of the many things we share. And, of course, the establishment of the Australian US Landsat Next Partnership, which enhances cooperation on satellite imaging data collection. And of course, our entry into the US Global Entry Program from next year.

Really, the primary point I wanted to emphasise in this conference was this, American leadership matters. American leadership has always mattered, and it remains vital. Today, it's vital for peace, for prosperity in a free and open world. So we acknowledge and thank United States of America for that leadership. We acknowledge and thank the US for the priority you place on allies and partners. Together, we can do more, so much more in the world. And in today's discussion, as we have seen what we share, we have seen the depth of our alignment, we have seen the depth of our strategic trust, and we have also seen the sincerity of our friendship. And I thank you for that. So thank you Tony, and thank you Austin. It's a privilege to work with you.

Secretary of Defence, Llyod Austin:  Deputy Prime Minister Marles and Foreign Minister Wong it's great to have you here with us in Annapolis. But before I talk about our progress today, I wanted to say just a few words about the tensions in the Middle East. The Department of Defense continues to take steps to lower temperatures in the region and to ward off regional escalation by Iran and its partners and proxies. Several US service members were wounded yesterday in a rocket attack on Al Assad airbase in western Iraq. So make no mistake, the United States will not tolerate attacks on our personnel in the region. We've adjusted our military posture to strengthen our force protection, to reinforce our ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel and to remain prepared to respond to any contingency. To maintain our carrier strike group presence in the Middle East I've already ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt later this month. I've also ordered more cruisers and destroyers capable of ballistic missile defense to the region and I ordered the deployment of another fighter squadron to the Middle East to reinforce our defensive peer support capabilities there. And these posture adjustments add to our already broad range of capabilities in the region and we remain ready to deploy on short notice to meet evolving threats to our security, our partners or our interests. The United States remains intensely focused on de- escalating tensions in the region. And we're also focused on securing a ceasefire as a part of a hostage deal to bring all of the hostages home and to end the war in Gaza.

Now, let me turn to our two plus two. Today's meetings have once again demonstrated the extraordinary strength of our unbreakable Alliance with Australia. United States and Australia share a common vision for a free and open Indo Pacific and that guided today's discussions. Let me mention three key items. First we agreed to continue deepening our force posture cooperation. Our countries are upgrading critical air bases in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. We're operating from new locations such as RAAF Learmonth and we're establishing an enduring logistics location at Bandiana. We're also increasing the presence of rotational US forces in Australia. All this will mean more maritime patrol aircraft and reconnaissance aircraft operating from bases across Northern Australia. It will also mean more frequent rotational bomber deployments. Second, we're doubling down on our defense industrial base cooperation and this includes supporting Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. By the end of the year, we're aiming to sign two memorandums of understanding on critical munitions. The first supports manufacturing of guided multiple launch rocket systems or GMLRS in Australia by 2025. The second advances the co-production, co-sustainment and co-development of the precision strike missile or PrSM. And as we accelerate our work together on PrSM, we agreed to stand up a joint program office in early 2025. Together these efforts will help ensure that we have the capability and the capacity that we'll need for decades to come. And finally, we'll continue to advance our defense ties with regional allies and partners especially India, Japan and the Philippines. Along with our UK allies, we continue to make outstanding progress through the AUKUS partnership. The United States is pursuing different initiatives with each of our allies and partners in the Indo Pacific. All of that vital work builds greater peace, stability and deterrence across the region. You know, Secretary Blinken and I returned from the Indo Pacific just last week, we participated in two plus two meetings with our counterparts in Japan and the Philippines in both Tokyo and Manila. We spoke at length about Australia's vital role in our network of alliances and the United States, Australia and our other friends in the region are operating together more closely and more capably than ever before. So Richard, and Penny thanks for your leadership and for your commitment to our alliances and to the security in the region. So we got a lot done today. We'll keep building on our joint achievements over the past three and a half years. And we'll keep charting an ambitious course forward. Thanks again. And now, Richard, over to you.

Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles: Well, can I thank Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin for hosting Penny and I at this year's AUSMIN and it has been a real treat to be able to conduct AUSMIN this year at the US Naval Academy here at Annapolis. This is the 34th AUSMIN and it's the third that we've undertaken as a group of four. And when we reflect over the last two years, there have been huge achievements across three AUSMINs in advancing our alliance. We have seen today ground-breaking discussions in respect of a much greater collaboration between our defence industry bases, particularly in respect of the manufacture of guided weapons in Australia. As Lloyd said, we have committed to having an MoU by the end of this year for the co-assembly of GMLRS - guided land based rockets in Australia, with the intent of the beginnings of that manufacturing occurring next year. We've also agreed to pursue a memorandum of understanding in relation to the co-production of the precision strike missile in Australia with the standing up of a joint program office next year. Now, what this has seen is a much closer working of our defence industry bases and the legislation that was passed through the Congress last year, with the complimentary legislation that was passed through the Australian Parliament in March of this year has given rise to a generational dream in establishing a seamless defence industrial base between Australia and America. And we continued in our discussions today to develop this. This is going to give enormous opportunities for Australian companies to participate and contribute to the supply chain here in the United States. And as part of this, we're seeing a much greater cooperation between our two defence innovation systems and again, we have undertaken to establish a MoU of cooperation between the Defense Innovation Unit here in the United States and the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator in Australia.

In relation to force posture, this year's AUSMIN has built on the last two in seeing a deepening of American force posture in Australia. Now the heart of that is the marine rotation in Darwin, which is occurring as we speak. And in the next couple of years, we look forward to the establishment of the Submarine Rotational Force–West in Perth. But American force posture now in Australia involves every domain; land, sea, air, cyber and space. And so we are seeing US army watercraft, for example, engaging in Australia, and as Lloyd said, we've now seen a logistics base be established by the United States at Bandiana near Albury. And this is greatly going to enhance the United States’ ability to operate in Australia. The presence of American force posture in our nation provides an enormous opportunity to work with our neighbours in the region. And as Penny and I move throughout the region and speak to our neighbors, there is genuine appreciation for the contribution that America is making to the stability and the peace of the Indo-Pacific region by its presence in Australia. But what this is doing is allowing us to do a much greater range of activities and operations and exercises with our partners, and we spoke about that today. With Japan, for example, where we've committed to doing a much greater amount of trilateral exercises between our three countries, but also doing more maritime domain awareness work, not only with Japan, but with the Philippines and with India.

Finally, can I just add my thanks to Lloyd and to Tony for their cooperation with Penny and I in advancing our alliance, we deeply appreciate it. We deeply appreciate the personal role that Lloyd and Tony have played in giving expression to American leadership in the world which, as Penny said, deeply matters. Deeply matters in terms of promoting democratic values and human rights throughout the world. Deeply matters in terms of maintaining a global rules-based order, which is so important for Australia, which engages Australia's national interest deeply. So I really want to say thank you for the partnership that we have been able to express on behalf of our nations, but at a personal level, I really want to say on behalf of Penny and I thank you for the deep friendship that we have now built across this stage. Thank you.

Speaker: Thank you all. Our first question will go to Shaun Tendon, Agence France-Presse.

Journalist – Thank you. Good evening. Mr. Secretary, Secretary Blinken if I could start to follow up on some of your comments in the Middle East. You mentioned it's a decisive moment right now for the ceasefire talks. Today Hamas has appointed Sinwar as their new political head, somebody who masterminded the October 7 attacks and somebody who, by most accounts is hiding in tunnels. How does this bode for ceasefire talks? You also mentioned the consensus about how Iran should or should not respond. You spoke with the Jordanian Foreign Minister today, do you think Jordan and other countries in the region are on board in potentially repelling or striking down Iranian projectiles that may come. And if I can ask all of you, including Australia and the Australian ministers in the Indo Pacific, a very different appointment today, Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh. I just wanted to see if you had any thoughts about where Bangladesh is going with stability and how you see that. And just very briefly Secretary Austin if I could ask you a particularly important topic domestic one, but the 9/11 trial, the plea agreement, which you cancelled, was wondering if you could explain that to us? There are of course big concerns about the plea agreements voiced by some of the families, but also there have been long standing concerns about a trial not only because of the death penalty, but because of the use of waterboarding of torture in the evidence, do you believe a trial could go forward? Thanks very much.

Secretary Blinken: Hi, and I know your colleagues appreciate you asking their questions for them as well. So on the questions addressed to me first with regard to Mr Sinwar. He has been and remains the primary decider when it comes to concluding the ceasefire. And so I think this only underscores the fact that it is really on him to decide whether to move forward with a ceasefire that manifestly will help so many Palestinians in desperate need. Women, children, men, who are caught in the crossfire of Hamas’ making in Gaza and whether we can put Gaza and the region more broadly on to a more peaceful and secure path. So it only emphasizes the fact that, and has been the case for some time, it really is on him. And as the President said today, following his conversations with President Al-Sisi and with me, this is the decisive moment. The negotiations have reached their final stage and we believe strongly that they should come across the finish line very, very soon. And that besides changing everything for people in Gaza, bringing the hostages home, giving us an opportunity to build a more enduring peace for Gaza, also opens up other possibilities other prospects more broadly, in terms of the escalating tensions and bringing real security instability. That's what we're focused on. And so when it comes to defending Israel, we are resolute and will remain resolute in making sure that we do everything possible to defend it against any attacks. I'm not going to speculate on how that might go forward. I can tell you that the intense focus that we have and that all our partners in the region have including our Jordanian partners with whom I spoke today, that focus is on de-escalation and is on making sure that no one takes any steps that could actually add fuel to the fire and broaden the conflict. And they're also intensely focused on getting the ceasefire over the finish line.

With regard to Bangladesh, we're monitoring the situation very closely. I would just say that any decisions that the interim government makes, need to respect democratic principles and need to uphold the rule of law and need to reflect the will of the people. We, for our part take very seriously the safety and security and well-being of American citizens and of our personnel. As you know, we have ordered of our non-essential personnel, and of course, we'll be watching this day in and day out.

Foreign Minister Wong: You asked me a question about Bangladesh and I think the Secretary's outlined, a really similar position to the one I would have articulated. I was in Bangladesh not long ago and so I obviously have watched with particular personal concern, as well as our nation's concern about violence and tragic loss of life in Bangladesh. I want to offer our deepest condolences to families and friends of all those who have died. In relation to the interim Government what we will do and say is we call on all parties to cease violence and we call on all parties to de-escalate and respect universal rights and we urge a full and independent and impartial investigation into the events of recent weeks. We continue to support the calls for the people of Bangladesh for an orderly and peaceful return to a democratic and inclusive Government.

Secretary Austin: Well, thanks for the question. I would just say that there's not a day that goes by when I don't think of 9/11 and the Americans that were murdered that day. Also those who died trying to save lives and the troops and their families who gave so much for this country and in the years following that. I'm deeply mindful of my duty to all those whose lives were lost or changed forever on 9/11. I fully understand that no measure of justice can ever make up for their loss. So this wasn't a decision that I took lightly but I have long believed that the families of the victims, our service members and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out in this case, and I'll leave at that.

Speaker: Okay. Our next question will go to Jade Macmillan, Australian Broadcasting Corporation.  

Journalist: Thank you very much. Secretary Blinken, Julian Assange’s lawyers say that they'll be seeking a pardon for his criminal conviction in the US. Would you consider that to be appropriate? And secondly, were there any concerns raised on the US side about how the Australian government responded to his release? There was some criticism domestically, for example, that the welcome he received risked damaging the relationship between Australia and the US?

Secretary Blinken: Thank you. We’ve had a legal process go forward and conclude. We didn't talk about this at all today, it didn't come up in our conversations. And in terms of what follows. I would prefer your own department of justice. But as far as I'm concerned, there's a legal process that's been concluded and I’ll leave it at that.

Speaker: Next question, we’ll go to Reuters.

Journalist: I've got a few questions as well, so strap in. Can I just ask Minister Wong and Deputy Prime Minister Marles, what role would Australia play in a Taiwan contingency beyond basing support? Would you commit troops to helping defend Taiwan? For Secretary Austin, who was behind the attack of al Asad yesterday? And do you believe an Iranian or Hizballah attack against Israel is imminent? Secretary Blinken, why do you believe Prime Minister Netanyahu will heed your calls to de-escalate given that for the past nine months or so he's either ignored or gone directly against your request, whether it’s on civilian casualties or negotiations on the ceasefire? And more broadly, you mentioned the ceasefire talks are in their final stages. We've heard similar optimism before. Do you believe that Israel has set back that effort given that they allegedly killed the leader of the group that they're supposed to be negotiating with?

Deputy Prime Minister Marles: Perhaps if I start and I’ll hand over to Penny. I mean, the first point to make in respect of your first question is obviously we're not going to speculate about hypotheticals in the future. Our alliance is one where we are working closely together with the United States to deter conflict in the future and that is where our focus and energy is at. And in that respect, our position opposition remains one of supporting the status quo across the Taiwan straits and not wanting to see any unilateral change to that status quo.

Secretary Austin: In terms of who was behind the attack on al Asad, we're sure that it was an Iranian-backed Shia militia group. Specifically which group, we're still investigating to determine that. In terms of whether or not, or when Iran would choose to attack Israel, I'm not going to speculate on any Iranian actions going forward. Idrees, as you know, what I've been focused on is making sure that we're doing everything we can to put measures in place to protect our troops, and also make sure that we're in a good position to aid in the in the defence of Israel, if called upon to do that. So you've seen us do a number of things to strengthen our force posture. And, again, I'm in constant communications with my commanders in the region and also with our allies as well. So we'll see how this evolves, but I won't speculate on any specific action by Iran or any other Iranian-backed group going forward.

Secretary Blinken: Idrees, with regard to the Middle East, it is manifestly in the interests of everyone involved to avoid escalation, to avoid the conflict spreading and I believe that actually no one wants escalation, no one wants to see the conflict spread. But it's very important that no one takes steps that could lead to that, even if it's unintended. And that's why we've been engaged in this intense effort across the region and beyond to press everyone involved, including Israel, to avoid anything that could actually escalate the conflict. And, again, it comes down to the fact that's not where people want to go, we want to make sure to the best of our ability that they don't go there, even inadvertently. When it comes to the ceasefire, let's understand where we are, how we got there, and why we believe this is something that should close and should close very soon. Some weeks ago now President Biden put before the world a proposal for the ceasefire and the release of hostages, a pathway to an enduring peace in Gaza. And the entire world rallied behind it. Country after country stood up in support of the proposal, it culminated in a vote at the United Nations Security Council – 14 to nothing endorsing the proposal and indeed incorporating it into a resolution. We don't see the Security Council agreeing on much these days, but I think that reflects the fact that quite literally the entire world came out in support. And then it took some time, but Hamas after a couple of weeks agreed to support the proposal. So there's agreement on the on the framework. What we've been working on for the last few weeks are important details of how that is actually implemented and there were some things that had to be negotiated in that process. That work has continued even with the recent events in the region. And we believe based on the work that's been done, based on the very practical issues that are at stake, that there is no reason that this should not be concluded and concluded quickly. So this is really a time for all of the parties involved to close this out. No delays, no excuses, no reasons why we can't do something. Focus on getting to yes. The reason, among other things that we very much want to avoid any escalation is because yes, that has the potential to disrupt concluding the ceasefire agreement. So in and of itself, escalation would be a bad thing. But it also has the potential to up end bringing the ceasefire over the line and bring it conclusion. Again, the ceasefire is profoundly in the interest of everyone. It's in the interest of Israelis. It's in the interests, of course of the hostages, their families around the world, including in the United States. It's manifestly in the interests of the Palestinian children, women and men who are suffering every day. It's in the interests of virtually every country in the region, because not only is what's happening in Gaza at stake but many of these other points of conflict will also be profoundly affected by getting a ceasefire. It opens up the prospect of calming things down everywhere in the region. So that's our focus. We're doing everything we can both to avoid de-escalation, bring the ceasefire agreement to conclusion, and we won't stop until we get there.

Speaker: Our final question. We'll go to Adam Creighton, The Australian.

Journalist: Thank you very much for taking our questions. This one is for Secretary Austin. Sir, recently the influential media magnate Rupert Murdoch said that in his view, he did not think the US would come to the aid of Taiwan if China tried to encroach on the island. So what do you make of that sort of assessment? And if Mr Murdoch was wrong, is it the expectation of the US that Australia would come to the assistance of the US militarily in any such confrontation?

Secretary Austin: I certainly won’t comment on Mr Murdoch's analysis or his statement and I won't speculate on whether or not there will be a conflict. As I've said a number of times, I don't think conflict with China is either imminent or inevitable. You know, we continue to work with like minded partners in the region to ensure that we're doing things to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. And so the types of things that you've seen us do over the last three and a half years, I think, have been quite remarkable. Above and beyond the things that that we discussed today in this 2+2 which, I mean, they are substantive accomplishments that our two countries have accomplished together, but if you look at the things that we've done in terms of strengthening our relationship with India, developing– helping the Philippines to modernise their military, bringing Japan and the ROK closer together – you’ve seen us do a recent ministerial in Japan with Japanese minister of defence, and the minister of defence from ROK, that's the first time that that's ever happened. And so there's just so many things like that we have done in the region, to work with others to ensure that we do in fact, move things towards greater stability and security and promote that vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific. So again, I won't speculate on anyone's comments or whether or not there will be a conflict. I will just tell you that you know, we'll continue to do– to work with our allies and partners to to make sure that we're moving things in the right direction, and that direction is towards greater stability and security.

Speaker: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our press briefing. Thank you very much for joining us today.