Defence Minister Richard Marles is taking questions at a press conference in Washington, following a meeting of ministers for annual AUSMIN talks.
Marles refused to provide any details on the Pentagon’s review of AUKUS, released to the government last week, only claiming it “looks at ways AUKUS can be done better”.
“Last week, we received the AUKUS review from the United States, we are very grateful for having received it… and the way in which they enabled us to contribute to the review means we are moving full steam ahead, and that is very much the context in which the review has been written.
“The review is essentially looking at ways in which AUKUS can be done better, and we continue to work with the United States and the United Kingdom about how we can do AUKUS better,” he said.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong, left, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles at the State Department in Washington. Credit: AP
Pressed on whether the US put further pressure on Australia to increase its defence spending in meetings today, Marles remained tight-lipped, saying he would not describe details of the discussions.
“We’re very clear about our position in relation to defence spending and where that has led, and that has led to the biggest increase in peacetime defence spending in Australia’s history, and that is acknowledged by the US.
“But I think that in describing the conversations as frank speaks to the closeness of the relationship… and I’m not going to give you a running commentary, conversations, public comments, which is very much reflected in the way in which that meeting was conducted behind closed doors,” Marles told reporters.
