Department of Defense Spokesman Lt. Col. David Herndon provided the following readout:
Department of Defense leaders, including Dr. William LaPlante, Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment, and Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. Mara Karlin, hosted Australia's Minister for Defence Industry, the Honourable Pat Conroy, at the Pentagon, December 13.
Following Secretary Austin's July trip to Australia for the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN), as well as the Australia-United States-United Kingdom (AUKUS) trilateral partnership Defense Ministers Meeting (DMM) held earlier this month, the senior leaders discussed developments in the global security environment and opportunities for further collaboration, including AUKUS Pillar II and defense industrial base collaboration. The officials also discussed U.S. support for Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordinance Enterprise (GWEO).
The meetings underscored the historic momentum at the heart of the Unbreakable Alliance between the United States and Australia.