Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Australia Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles May 30, 2026 On May 30, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Australia Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles met on the margins of the Shangri-la Dialogue. The two leaders discussed efforts to strengthen and advance the alliance. Secretary Hegseth and Deputy Prime Minister Marles agreed to prioritize and accelerate infrastructure projects at Australian bases to support enhanced U.S. force posture. The principals discussed the completion of additional maintenance, storage, and distribution facilities to improve combined logistics for U.S. and Australian forces. The two leaders also discussed opportunities to enhance military and technological collaboration through increased Australian investment in advanced capabilities and infrastructure to meet shared priorities. During the meeting, both leaders highlighted ongoing efforts to strengthen the trilateral AUKUS security partnership and the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise. Secretary Hegseth emphasized the need to accelerate delivery of next-generation capabilities and deepen defense industrial base cooperation between the two countries.

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Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr.

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE Readout of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's Meeting With Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. May 30, 2026 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. on May 30 to reaffirm their ironclad commitment to the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty and shared determination to ensure a stable peace in the Indo-Pacific. The two leaders discussed progress on operational cooperation and posture initiatives, including investments in critical infrastructure and storage facilities at strategic locations across the Philippines. They announced the signing of a new 15-year Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) to streamline secure information sharing. The leaders also welcomed the successful conclusion of the 41st Exercise BALIKATAN, which included groundbreaking training in joint fires, coastal defense, and maritime security. Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Teodoro reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening deterrence in the South China Sea. Secretary Hegseth announced the provision of a decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter to the Philippine Coast Guard to bolster the Philippines' ability to protect its interests in the region

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Fact Sheet: AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project

Fact Sheet: AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project May 30, 2026 Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have announced the first AUKUS Pillar II signature project: cutting-edge payloads and enabling systems for AUKUS partners' Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles. VIEW PUBLICATION

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Joint Statement, AUKUS Defense Ministers' Meeting

View Online IMMEDIATE RELEASE Joint Statement, AUKUS Defense Ministers' Meeting May 30, 2026 Today the Honorable Richard Marles MP, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense, the Honorable Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Right Honorable John Healey MP, UK Secretary of State for Defense, met at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore and re-affirmed their commitment to delivering the AUKUS partnership. Pillar I – Conventionally-Armed, Nuclear-Powered Submarines Through discussions today, the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries confirmed that AUKUS Pillar I remains on track to support Australia's acquisition of a conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries confirmed key milestones continue to be met for Submarine Rotational Force-West (SRF-West) and announced the finalization of necessary arrangements for the establishment of SRF-West in 2027. SRF-West will directly support submarine deployments by expanding maintenance options and sustainment infrastructure in the region and will accelerate Australia's readiness to own, operate, maintain, and regulate a sovereign conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability. Just this month, the United States authorized establishment of the U.S. Navy support elements for SRF-West and will begin rotating the first U.S. Navy personnel to HMAS Stirling later this year. Likewise, the United Kingdom reaffirmed its commitment to have a rotational presence as part of SRF-West and noted the successful Submarine Maintenance Period conducted earlier this year by HMS ANSON. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries acknowledged Australia's planned investments of up to AUD 8 billion at SRF-West for infrastructure and logistics support at HMAS Stirling, along with Australia's initial down payments of AUD 3.9 billion to deliver the new Submarine Construction Yard in South Australia and AUD 12 billion for the Henderson Defense Precinct—including to support the delivery of contingency docking and depot level maintenance capabilities. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries welcomed the proposed approach to streamline Australia's acquisition of Virginia-class submarines (VCS), simplifying supply chain management, operational and maintenance requirements, and maximizing cost efficiencies. This approach would enable Australia to acquire three in-service VCS in lieu of a mixture of new and in-service VCS variants. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries acknowledged significant progress in the design and delivery of SSN-AUKUS, which will provide the UK and Australia with an advanced warfighting capability. This progress has been underpinned by investments from both the UK and Australia, including GBP 6 billion that the UK committed in 2025. Pillar II – Advanced Capabilities The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries reaffirmed the critical importance of accelerating the delivery of advanced capabilities under AUKUS Pillar II.  They announced the first AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project: developing cutting-edge payloads and enabling systems for AUKUS partners' Uncrewed Undersea Vehicles (UUVs), with delivery starting in 2027. This project is intended to significantly enhance AUKUS partners' ability to protect critical national seabed infrastructure; deploy cutting edge surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities; conduct logistics operations; and bolster superiority in anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, mine countermeasures, electronic warfare, and contested littoral maneuver.       Defense Trade and Industrial Base Collaboration The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries confirmed their support for expanding the breadth of the AUKUS license-free environment between AUKUS partners by taking expeditious and practical steps to narrow the list of excluded technologies. The Deputy Prime Minister and Secretaries also reaffirmed the value of the Advanced Capabilities Industry Forum and deepening collaboration across the trilateral defense industrial base.  Fact Sheet: AUKUS Pillar II Signature Project can be found at: https://media.defense.gov/2026/May/30/2003941945/-1/-1/1/FACT-SHEET-AUKUS-PILLAR-II-SIGNATURE-PROJECT.PDF

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