1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,000 2 00:00:04,940 --> 00:00:07,550 Well , good afternoon everyone . Thank 3 00:00:07,550 --> 00:00:09,717 you for being here today . I'm pleased 4 00:00:09,717 --> 00:00:11,939 to introduce Secretary of Defense Lloyd 5 00:00:11,939 --> 00:00:13,939 Austin , the third and Deputy Prime 6 00:00:13,939 --> 00:00:15,883 Minister and Minister of Defense , 7 00:00:15,883 --> 00:00:18,050 Richard Marles following their opening 8 00:00:18,050 --> 00:00:20,050 remarks , we'll have time for a few 9 00:00:20,050 --> 00:00:22,217 questions and with that I will turn it 10 00:00:22,217 --> 00:00:23,994 over to Secretary Austin . Good 11 00:00:23,994 --> 00:00:26,050 afternoon everyone . Uh Deputy Prime 12 00:00:26,050 --> 00:00:28,272 Minister morals . It's great to see you 13 00:00:28,272 --> 00:00:30,494 again and thanks for making the trip to 14 00:00:30,494 --> 00:00:32,217 Hawaii . The United States and 15 00:00:32,217 --> 00:00:35,100 Australia have long standing ties of 16 00:00:35,100 --> 00:00:37,840 trust and friendship and we're both 17 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:39,880 deeply dedicated to freedom and to 18 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,130 democracy . We also share an unwavering 19 00:00:43,130 --> 00:00:45,450 commitment to a free and open indo 20 00:00:45,450 --> 00:00:48,160 pacific a region where all countries 21 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:50,450 are free to choose their own destinies 22 00:00:50,460 --> 00:00:52,710 and where states respect international 23 00:00:52,710 --> 00:00:54,830 law and where disputes are resolved 24 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,620 peacefully without coercion or 25 00:00:57,620 --> 00:01:00,370 intimidation . These shared convictions 26 00:01:00,370 --> 00:01:02,640 run deep and they are the foundation of 27 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:06,030 our unbreakable alliance Today . The 28 00:01:06,030 --> 00:01:08,200 region and the world face a growing 29 00:01:08,210 --> 00:01:10,210 challenge from autocratic countries 30 00:01:10,210 --> 00:01:12,390 attempting to change the status quo 31 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,170 through threats , coercion and 32 00:01:15,170 --> 00:01:17,220 provocative military activities and 33 00:01:17,220 --> 00:01:20,280 even make it aggression . We're deeply 34 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:22,200 concerned by china's aggressive 35 00:01:22,210 --> 00:01:24,940 escalatory and destabilizing military 36 00:01:24,940 --> 00:01:27,520 activities in the Taiwan strait and 37 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:30,700 elsewhere in the region . And we're 38 00:01:30,700 --> 00:01:32,644 meeting at an especially important 39 00:01:32,644 --> 00:01:35,320 moment as nations of goodwill have 40 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:38,380 rallied together to oppose Russia's 41 00:01:38,380 --> 00:01:40,790 unprovoked and cruel invasion of 42 00:01:40,790 --> 00:01:43,880 Ukraine . United States and Australia 43 00:01:43,890 --> 00:01:46,920 are united in opposing actions that 44 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:49,220 threaten peace stability in the rules 45 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:51,910 based international order . As 46 00:01:51,910 --> 00:01:53,743 President biden told the U . N . 47 00:01:53,743 --> 00:01:56,450 General Assembly just days ago , the 48 00:01:56,450 --> 00:01:59,060 United States flatly rejects quote , 49 00:01:59,070 --> 00:02:02,640 the use of violence and war to 50 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:05,720 conquer nations or or expand borders 51 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:09,060 through bloodshed . Now this context 52 00:02:09,060 --> 00:02:11,900 sets the stage for a valuable meeting 53 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:14,540 today . The Deputy Prime Minister and I 54 00:02:14,540 --> 00:02:17,000 had a very productive discussion about 55 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,500 steps that we can take as allies to 56 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:21,710 enhance deterrence and strengthen 57 00:02:21,710 --> 00:02:24,430 security in the indo pacific . We 58 00:02:24,430 --> 00:02:25,930 talked about enhancing our 59 00:02:25,930 --> 00:02:28,500 interoperability and expanding our 60 00:02:28,500 --> 00:02:31,780 operations and advancing our ongoing 61 00:02:31,780 --> 00:02:35,410 posture , force posture initiatives and 62 00:02:35,410 --> 00:02:37,720 deepening our defense industrial 63 00:02:37,730 --> 00:02:40,560 cooperation . We talked about Aucas , 64 00:02:40,570 --> 00:02:42,620 which I'm pleased to say has made 65 00:02:42,620 --> 00:02:44,898 tremendous progress over the past year . 66 00:02:45,470 --> 00:02:47,526 We also had a good discussion on the 67 00:02:47,526 --> 00:02:50,010 renewed importance of the trilateral 68 00:02:50,010 --> 00:02:53,090 cooperation with Japan . And I should 69 00:02:53,090 --> 00:02:55,201 note that we had a great meeting with 70 00:02:55,201 --> 00:02:58,130 the Japanese Minister of Defense Hamada 71 00:02:58,140 --> 00:03:00,920 earlier this morning . So , Richard , 72 00:03:00,930 --> 00:03:03,152 thank you again for all that you do for 73 00:03:03,152 --> 00:03:05,560 our shared security . This alliance has 74 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,290 a proud and past and a bold future and 75 00:03:08,290 --> 00:03:10,980 I look forward to continuing our close 76 00:03:10,980 --> 00:03:13,036 cooperation and so I'll turn it over 77 00:03:13,036 --> 00:03:15,147 you mr Deputy Prime Minister for your 78 00:03:15,147 --> 00:03:17,680 comments . Well , thank you , Secretary 79 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,000 Austin and it's been a real pleasure to 80 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:23,160 be here in Honolulu today and to be 81 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:25,460 able to meet once again with my good 82 00:03:25,460 --> 00:03:28,640 friend Secretary Lloyd Austin about the 83 00:03:28,640 --> 00:03:32,470 future of the Australian United 84 00:03:32,470 --> 00:03:35,620 States Alliance . We meet today at a 85 00:03:35,620 --> 00:03:39,260 time when there is increasing 86 00:03:39,260 --> 00:03:41,530 pressure on the global rules based 87 00:03:41,530 --> 00:03:43,760 order . We're seeing that in Eastern 88 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:46,360 europe with the unprovoked aggression 89 00:03:46,370 --> 00:03:50,070 of Russia in respect of Ukraine . But 90 00:03:50,070 --> 00:03:53,010 we see it in the indo pacific as well 91 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:56,280 as we watch china seeks to shape the 92 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,610 world around it in a way that we have 93 00:03:59,610 --> 00:04:02,410 not seen before . It presents real 94 00:04:02,420 --> 00:04:04,960 challenges for those countries which 95 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:07,071 seek to uphold the global rules based 96 00:04:07,071 --> 00:04:09,600 order . Uh The U . N . Convention of 97 00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:11,378 the Law of the sea , freedom of 98 00:04:11,378 --> 00:04:13,544 navigation in bodies of water like the 99 00:04:13,544 --> 00:04:15,711 south China sea and the east china sea 100 00:04:15,711 --> 00:04:17,433 are fundamentally important to 101 00:04:17,433 --> 00:04:19,600 Australia's national interest . And it 102 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:21,930 is fundamentally important that like 103 00:04:21,930 --> 00:04:24,041 minded countries are working together 104 00:04:24,041 --> 00:04:26,850 to uphold that rules based order in 105 00:04:26,850 --> 00:04:29,840 those areas as well as around 106 00:04:29,850 --> 00:04:32,820 Taiwan . We really appreciated the 107 00:04:32,820 --> 00:04:34,876 trilateral meeting that we had today 108 00:04:34,876 --> 00:04:38,410 with Minister Hamada of Japan . Again , 109 00:04:38,420 --> 00:04:41,690 Japan and Australia are very closely 110 00:04:41,690 --> 00:04:44,940 aligned to countries which have a deep 111 00:04:44,950 --> 00:04:47,061 and close relationship but central to 112 00:04:47,061 --> 00:04:49,117 our relationship to the Australian , 113 00:04:49,117 --> 00:04:51,228 Japanese relationship is that both of 114 00:04:51,228 --> 00:04:53,228 us are american allies . And we see 115 00:04:53,228 --> 00:04:55,339 that as critically important in terms 116 00:04:55,339 --> 00:04:57,690 of our strategic landscape and our 117 00:04:57,690 --> 00:05:01,290 strategic view today , we've had 118 00:05:01,300 --> 00:05:03,470 a Secretary Austin has said a very 119 00:05:03,470 --> 00:05:06,610 productive conversation about the 120 00:05:06,610 --> 00:05:10,390 progress of orcas which is going along 121 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,680 very well . And I want to thank all the 122 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,240 officials from Australia , the United 123 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,351 Kingdom and the United States for the 124 00:05:18,351 --> 00:05:20,462 power of work that they have put into 125 00:05:20,462 --> 00:05:22,573 date in progress , Orcas . And we are 126 00:05:22,573 --> 00:05:25,645 on track to making an announcement 127 00:05:25,655 --> 00:05:28,825 around the optimal pathway that 128 00:05:28,835 --> 00:05:30,915 Australia will pursue in relation to 129 00:05:30,915 --> 00:05:33,385 acquiring nuclear powered submarines . 130 00:05:33,385 --> 00:05:35,441 And to make that announcement in the 131 00:05:35,441 --> 00:05:37,440 first part of next year And it was 132 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:39,880 great with Secretary Austin to affirm 133 00:05:39,890 --> 00:05:42,740 the progress there . We also had a very 134 00:05:42,740 --> 00:05:45,530 good conversation about how we can make 135 00:05:45,530 --> 00:05:47,560 our defense industrial bases closer 136 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,500 more seamless so that we can be sharing 137 00:05:51,510 --> 00:05:54,700 and progressing defense capability at 138 00:05:54,700 --> 00:05:57,700 the fastest possible rate . Uh we had a 139 00:05:57,700 --> 00:06:00,360 really good conversation around U . S . 140 00:06:00,370 --> 00:06:03,500 Force posture right now . We have the 141 00:06:03,510 --> 00:06:06,530 defense , the marine rotation in Darwin 142 00:06:06,530 --> 00:06:10,290 which is a very important initiative in 143 00:06:10,290 --> 00:06:12,568 terms of Australia's national interest . 144 00:06:12,568 --> 00:06:14,790 But we hope a great opportunity for the 145 00:06:14,790 --> 00:06:16,679 U . S . Marines in terms of their 146 00:06:16,679 --> 00:06:18,901 training in northern Australia . But we 147 00:06:18,901 --> 00:06:21,068 want to look at other ways in which we 148 00:06:21,068 --> 00:06:23,810 can build upon american force posture 149 00:06:23,810 --> 00:06:26,690 and and doing that in cooperation with 150 00:06:26,690 --> 00:06:28,740 Australia . And with all of this we 151 00:06:28,750 --> 00:06:31,840 have in mind the next meeting of Osman 152 00:06:31,840 --> 00:06:34,430 which will happen before the end of the 153 00:06:34,430 --> 00:06:36,541 year . And we had a good conversation 154 00:06:36,541 --> 00:06:38,541 about the kind of concrete outcomes 155 00:06:38,541 --> 00:06:42,290 that will come from Austin . But at the 156 00:06:42,290 --> 00:06:46,090 heart of today's meeting is really 157 00:06:46,100 --> 00:06:49,800 a sense of there being a strategic 158 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,080 alignment between the United States and 159 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:54,191 Australia which has always been there 160 00:06:54,191 --> 00:06:56,302 but has never been greater than it is 161 00:06:56,302 --> 00:06:58,070 right now . But that strategic 162 00:06:58,070 --> 00:07:00,181 alignment in the form of the alliance 163 00:07:00,181 --> 00:07:02,126 is built on a relationship of deep 164 00:07:02,126 --> 00:07:04,280 affection , deep affection and shared 165 00:07:04,280 --> 00:07:06,870 values and that is a very good basis 166 00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:08,620 upon which we can meet a very 167 00:07:08,620 --> 00:07:10,970 challenging world . Thank you both , 168 00:07:10,970 --> 00:07:13,081 gentlemen for the first question will 169 00:07:13,081 --> 00:07:15,500 go to motion NBC news . Thank you both 170 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:17,860 for joining us . Um , a question to 171 00:07:17,870 --> 00:07:20,037 both of you . Ukraine has asked for an 172 00:07:20,037 --> 00:07:22,740 accelerated accession to join NATO . 173 00:07:22,750 --> 00:07:24,694 And I'm wondering , do both of you 174 00:07:24,694 --> 00:07:26,694 think this is a good idea ? Is this 175 00:07:26,694 --> 00:07:28,806 something that you both support ? And 176 00:07:28,806 --> 00:07:30,972 then secondly , to Secretary Austin uh 177 00:07:30,972 --> 00:07:33,390 in your discussions today , was their 178 00:07:33,400 --> 00:07:36,600 conversation about expanding us 179 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:38,711 rotational troop presence or the need 180 00:07:38,711 --> 00:07:40,767 to expand the rotational presence in 181 00:07:40,767 --> 00:07:44,330 Israel On the first question 182 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:47,910 most uh you know , as we've said before , 183 00:07:47,910 --> 00:07:51,430 we are committed to supporting NATO's 184 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,570 open door policy . Um , 185 00:07:54,580 --> 00:07:57,910 but how that proceeds is really 186 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,880 uh an issue that's worked out by 187 00:08:00,890 --> 00:08:04,140 between the 30 countries who vote on 188 00:08:04,150 --> 00:08:07,210 NATO , who vote on this uh and the the 189 00:08:07,220 --> 00:08:10,850 aspiring country . Uh and uh and so 190 00:08:10,860 --> 00:08:13,090 that work will have to be done in the 191 00:08:13,090 --> 00:08:16,170 future right now . Most were focused on 192 00:08:16,180 --> 00:08:18,340 doing everything we can to make sure 193 00:08:18,340 --> 00:08:21,810 that Ukraine has what it needs to be 194 00:08:21,820 --> 00:08:24,970 successful . And we're seeing some some 195 00:08:24,970 --> 00:08:27,350 really good effects being created by 196 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:29,920 created by the Ukrainian forces right 197 00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:31,976 now as they continue to work to take 198 00:08:31,976 --> 00:08:35,960 back uh occupied territory on the issue 199 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,860 of force posture and uh and 200 00:08:38,870 --> 00:08:41,690 rotations . Uh , certainly we we 201 00:08:41,690 --> 00:08:44,920 discussed , uh , you know , the 202 00:08:44,930 --> 00:08:48,140 utility , the great advantage that we 203 00:08:48,150 --> 00:08:51,240 we enjoy as a result of those uh , 204 00:08:51,250 --> 00:08:53,361 great benefit we enjoy as a result of 205 00:08:53,361 --> 00:08:55,600 those rotations . Uh , and certainly we 206 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:58,290 hope to do more in the future . But I 207 00:08:58,300 --> 00:09:00,356 don't have any announcements to make 208 00:09:00,356 --> 00:09:03,910 today on the question of NATO , we 209 00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:06,270 would leave that question to NATO 210 00:09:06,270 --> 00:09:08,326 members and would certainly say that 211 00:09:08,326 --> 00:09:10,437 obviously as a non NATO country , but 212 00:09:10,437 --> 00:09:13,830 we really see it as very important that 213 00:09:13,830 --> 00:09:17,250 we are supporting Ukraine in what we 214 00:09:17,260 --> 00:09:19,490 are now imagining has the potential to 215 00:09:19,490 --> 00:09:21,780 be a protracted conflict . And so that 216 00:09:21,780 --> 00:09:24,090 we are thinking about how that support 217 00:09:24,090 --> 00:09:26,670 can be provided to Ukraine over a 218 00:09:26,670 --> 00:09:29,730 longer period of time to put Ukraine in 219 00:09:29,730 --> 00:09:32,100 a position where ultimately this 220 00:09:32,100 --> 00:09:34,370 conflict can be resolved on its terms . 221 00:09:34,530 --> 00:09:36,900 And that has to be our objective . I 222 00:09:36,900 --> 00:09:40,040 mean , the unprovoked aggression from 223 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:43,150 Russia in respect of Ukraine is such a 224 00:09:43,150 --> 00:09:46,990 flouting of the charter of the global 225 00:09:46,990 --> 00:09:48,934 rules based order . It must not be 226 00:09:48,934 --> 00:09:52,250 allowed to stand . And that's why feels 227 00:09:52,250 --> 00:09:54,330 that the issues that are at stake in 228 00:09:54,330 --> 00:09:56,497 Ukraine , albeit a place that's a long 229 00:09:56,497 --> 00:09:58,270 way from Australia or of such 230 00:09:58,270 --> 00:10:00,492 importance that they engage Australia's 231 00:10:00,492 --> 00:10:02,714 national interest . So , we are working 232 00:10:02,714 --> 00:10:04,937 with the Ukrainian government about how 233 00:10:04,937 --> 00:10:07,920 we can continue to provide support to 234 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:11,510 Ukraine over the long term to enable it 235 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:13,520 to be in a position to resolve this 236 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,520 conflict on its terms . Thank you . 237 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:17,742 Gentlemen for our next question . We'll 238 00:10:17,742 --> 00:10:19,853 go to Sylvie agency France , Presse . 239 00:10:19,853 --> 00:10:23,000 Thank you . Mr Secretary The Ukrainian 240 00:10:23,010 --> 00:10:26,200 forces have entered the city of Lehman 241 00:10:26,210 --> 00:10:29,100 in one of the four region annexed by 242 00:10:29,110 --> 00:10:31,470 Russia . do you think that this 243 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:34,300 development on the battlefield is going 244 00:10:34,310 --> 00:10:36,810 to change the likelihood of a nuclear 245 00:10:36,810 --> 00:10:40,540 response and for you , Mr 246 00:10:40,550 --> 00:10:43,680 Deputy Prime Minister . Um I know you 247 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,730 didn't decide yet what kind of 248 00:10:45,740 --> 00:10:49,170 submarine you want to buy . But when do 249 00:10:49,170 --> 00:10:52,290 you think you can get the delivery of 250 00:10:52,300 --> 00:10:56,150 the first one ? So uh 251 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,150 Sylvia on on the first issue whether or 252 00:10:59,150 --> 00:11:02,990 not uh the the 253 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,900 capture of uh Lehman is is 254 00:11:06,910 --> 00:11:08,780 significant . Absolutely . It's 255 00:11:08,780 --> 00:11:11,800 significant . We're very encouraged by 256 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,022 what we're seeing right now . Even sits 257 00:11:14,022 --> 00:11:17,770 astride the uh supply lines of the 258 00:11:17,780 --> 00:11:19,980 other Russians . And they've they've 259 00:11:19,980 --> 00:11:23,170 used those routes to uh to push men and 260 00:11:23,170 --> 00:11:25,281 material down to the south and to the 261 00:11:25,281 --> 00:11:28,990 west . Uh And without those routes uh 262 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,778 it'll be more difficult . So it 263 00:11:30,778 --> 00:11:33,820 presents sort of a dilemma for for the 264 00:11:33,820 --> 00:11:36,170 Russians going forward . Uh and we 265 00:11:36,170 --> 00:11:38,880 think the Ukrainians have done great 266 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,590 work uh to get there and to uh and to 267 00:11:42,590 --> 00:11:45,600 begin to occupy the city . What it 268 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,630 means in terms of of potential 269 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:51,270 escalation , I won't speculate on that . 270 00:11:51,270 --> 00:11:52,937 But what it does mean for the 271 00:11:52,937 --> 00:11:55,890 battlefield is that uh the the 272 00:11:55,890 --> 00:11:58,320 Ukrainians continue to make progress 273 00:11:58,320 --> 00:12:00,860 and they continue to present problems 274 00:12:00,870 --> 00:12:03,092 to the Russians that they'll uh they'll 275 00:12:03,092 --> 00:12:06,070 have to resolve uh and again , we all 276 00:12:06,070 --> 00:12:08,070 have to be encouraged by what we're 277 00:12:08,070 --> 00:12:10,690 seeing ? Uh It's a good question . 278 00:12:10,700 --> 00:12:14,670 You you don't build a nuclear 279 00:12:14,670 --> 00:12:17,780 powered submarine quickly . Um And so 280 00:12:17,790 --> 00:12:19,910 the question of when we would be able 281 00:12:19,910 --> 00:12:21,854 to have the first submarine in the 282 00:12:21,854 --> 00:12:24,077 water is one which is very pertinent to 283 00:12:24,077 --> 00:12:26,490 us . Um and it is so because our 284 00:12:26,490 --> 00:12:28,490 existing submarine capability , the 285 00:12:28,490 --> 00:12:30,657 Collins class submarines were imagined 286 00:12:30,657 --> 00:12:32,823 to start to come out of service in the 287 00:12:32,823 --> 00:12:35,620 middle of this decade . Um Clearly we 288 00:12:35,630 --> 00:12:38,320 have made the decision to extend the 289 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:40,580 life of the Collins class submarines , 290 00:12:40,580 --> 00:12:42,802 but we need to be thinking about how we 291 00:12:42,802 --> 00:12:45,270 acquire a nuclear powered submarine in 292 00:12:45,270 --> 00:12:49,030 a way where we minimize um and plug any 293 00:12:49,030 --> 00:12:50,974 capability gap that might arise by 294 00:12:50,974 --> 00:12:53,370 virtue of that timing . This question 295 00:12:53,380 --> 00:12:55,440 is really central to the work that's 296 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:57,890 underway right now and we're on target 297 00:12:57,900 --> 00:13:00,230 to be able to make our announcements in 298 00:13:00,230 --> 00:13:02,286 the first part of next year . But in 299 00:13:02,286 --> 00:13:04,341 making those announcements , it will 300 00:13:04,341 --> 00:13:06,508 not just be what submarine we're going 301 00:13:06,508 --> 00:13:08,563 with , but how quickly we can get it 302 00:13:08,563 --> 00:13:10,563 and to the extent that there is any 303 00:13:10,563 --> 00:13:12,563 capability gap that arises how that 304 00:13:12,563 --> 00:13:15,130 capability gap can be resolved because 305 00:13:15,130 --> 00:13:17,130 it's critically important given the 306 00:13:17,130 --> 00:13:19,450 strategic circumstances that we face 307 00:13:19,460 --> 00:13:21,460 that there is an evolving submarine 308 00:13:21,460 --> 00:13:23,682 capability in Australia from this day , 309 00:13:23,682 --> 00:13:25,738 right through into the day where the 310 00:13:25,738 --> 00:13:27,904 first nuclear powered submarine enters 311 00:13:27,904 --> 00:13:29,738 the water . Thank you . Our next 312 00:13:29,738 --> 00:13:32,310 question will go to Rio . Thank you 313 00:13:32,310 --> 00:13:34,160 very much for doing this . Two 314 00:13:34,170 --> 00:13:36,700 questions to the secretary . Uh could 315 00:13:36,700 --> 00:13:40,090 you tell us how the defense cooperation 316 00:13:40,090 --> 00:13:43,770 with Japan and Australia will into the 317 00:13:43,780 --> 00:13:46,820 US grand strategy to address facing 318 00:13:46,830 --> 00:13:49,390 challenges of china . Do you think this 319 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,320 framework uh might be useful to 320 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,740 prepare contingency in the Taiwan 321 00:13:55,740 --> 00:13:58,850 strait . And secondly I want to ask you 322 00:13:58,850 --> 00:14:01,430 about the U . S . Logistics capability 323 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,820 in Asia . The in the positive is very 324 00:14:04,820 --> 00:14:07,160 large geographically . So logistics 325 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:09,480 should be a challenge moving forward . 326 00:14:09,490 --> 00:14:11,840 Are you concerned that the U . S . 327 00:14:11,850 --> 00:14:15,520 Logistics logistics capabilities is not 328 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,250 sufficient to support operations in 329 00:14:18,270 --> 00:14:20,720 contested environment ? What do you 330 00:14:20,730 --> 00:14:23,860 expect from allies such as Australia ? 331 00:14:23,870 --> 00:14:25,700 And began on this issue ? 332 00:14:27,490 --> 00:14:31,270 Um Okay so first on the issue of 333 00:14:31,280 --> 00:14:34,750 how the trial at uh 334 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:37,220 contributes to our efforts in in the 335 00:14:37,220 --> 00:14:41,110 indo pacific these are three 336 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:44,520 countries with significant capacity , 337 00:14:44,530 --> 00:14:48,250 strong democracies uh and shared values . 338 00:14:48,260 --> 00:14:51,160 Uh Not only that we have a common 339 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,540 vision for you know , how things that 340 00:14:54,550 --> 00:14:57,810 should progress in the in the in the 341 00:14:57,810 --> 00:15:00,230 region , we remain focused on 342 00:15:00,230 --> 00:15:02,600 maintaining a free and open indo 343 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,120 pacific uh and and so the things that 344 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:08,342 we are doing together , the things that 345 00:15:08,342 --> 00:15:12,160 we uh will continue will will do in 346 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,200 the in the future together I think will 347 00:15:15,210 --> 00:15:18,680 will help us ensure that we can 348 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:20,347 maintain that that freedom of 349 00:15:20,347 --> 00:15:23,920 navigation and uh and the ability to 350 00:15:23,930 --> 00:15:26,100 navigate the skies in the region as 351 00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:28,860 well in terms of how important 352 00:15:28,860 --> 00:15:31,720 logistics are to us . Well there's no 353 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,090 question that uh you know , any war 354 00:15:34,100 --> 00:15:36,156 warrior warfighter will tell you any 355 00:15:36,156 --> 00:15:38,378 Secretary of Defense will tell you that 356 00:15:38,378 --> 00:15:41,720 logistics are critical and uh and 357 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,420 so because of that there's no , you 358 00:15:45,420 --> 00:15:47,420 know , it stands to reason that any 359 00:15:47,420 --> 00:15:51,050 adversary would try to try to interdict 360 00:15:51,050 --> 00:15:54,120 your ability to , to sustain yourself . 361 00:15:54,130 --> 00:15:56,960 We recognize that . And because of that , 362 00:15:56,970 --> 00:15:59,192 you know , we will do everything that's 363 00:15:59,192 --> 00:16:01,137 necessary to make sure that we can 364 00:16:01,137 --> 00:16:03,248 sustain ourselves . This is something 365 00:16:03,248 --> 00:16:05,520 that , that our commanders think about 366 00:16:05,530 --> 00:16:07,586 on a daily basis . This is something 367 00:16:07,586 --> 00:16:09,930 that our secretaries of the services 368 00:16:09,930 --> 00:16:12,050 think about , you know , we , we plan 369 00:16:12,050 --> 00:16:14,160 on , we create capability , uh , 370 00:16:14,170 --> 00:16:16,600 increased capability to ensure that we 371 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,430 could sustain , uh , an effort in a 372 00:16:19,430 --> 00:16:21,680 contested environment . So , uh , we , 373 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,680 we , it will be a challenge because of , 374 00:16:25,690 --> 00:16:27,930 you know , the evolving capabilities 375 00:16:27,930 --> 00:16:31,100 that , that adversaries have but , and 376 00:16:31,100 --> 00:16:34,410 create but nonetheless , uh , 377 00:16:34,420 --> 00:16:36,990 we're , we're pretty good at this . Uh , 378 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,800 and we will be successful if if , if 379 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,800 we're required to do something like 380 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:43,856 that . Thank you gentlemen . And our 381 00:16:43,856 --> 00:16:46,022 final question will go to Jim Garman D 382 00:16:46,022 --> 00:16:48,460 O D News . All right . Mr Secretary , 383 00:16:49,330 --> 00:16:53,110 Good to see you again sir . There's a 384 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:55,790 yesterday we might , we spoke with 385 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:59,740 component commuters . And I was , I was 386 00:16:59,740 --> 00:17:03,440 really struck by the amount of 387 00:17:03,450 --> 00:17:06,850 partnered operations exercises . I 388 00:17:06,850 --> 00:17:09,210 mean they spoke about the operation to 389 00:17:09,220 --> 00:17:11,740 pitch black in Australia and how that , 390 00:17:11,750 --> 00:17:15,320 how that works together . And you look 391 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:17,640 at the example in Ukraine and the 392 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:21,420 Ukraine contact group 50-plus nations 393 00:17:21,420 --> 00:17:23,531 working to do that . And yet there is 394 00:17:23,531 --> 00:17:25,753 still a significant number of Americans 395 00:17:25,753 --> 00:17:28,760 who don't see the use of alliances 396 00:17:28,770 --> 00:17:32,000 given , given the pace of credit China . 397 00:17:32,010 --> 00:17:34,121 What do you say to people like that ? 398 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,800 Well , I say that you know , if you 399 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:42,090 look at what we have done around the 400 00:17:42,090 --> 00:17:45,730 globe and I would ask that um 401 00:17:45,740 --> 00:17:47,907 Deputy Prime Minister Malls come in on 402 00:17:47,907 --> 00:17:50,680 this as well because I really , I think 403 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,180 we see this eye to eye but but uh you 404 00:17:54,180 --> 00:17:57,320 know , our allies and partners bring 405 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:00,850 significant capability and uh not only 406 00:18:00,850 --> 00:18:03,072 in terms of you know what they bring to 407 00:18:03,072 --> 00:18:05,300 the fight , but the access basing 408 00:18:05,300 --> 00:18:07,300 rights , uh you know , all of those 409 00:18:07,300 --> 00:18:10,170 things contribute to our overall uh 410 00:18:10,180 --> 00:18:12,510 effort . And quite frankly it's what 411 00:18:12,510 --> 00:18:15,440 our adversaries worry about most , our 412 00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:18,920 ability to work together with with like 413 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,810 minded partners and allies uh and that 414 00:18:21,810 --> 00:18:25,420 really magnifies our warfighting 415 00:18:25,430 --> 00:18:29,220 capability . So uh I think alliances 416 00:18:29,220 --> 00:18:31,610 and partnerships are critical and 417 00:18:31,610 --> 00:18:33,780 that's why you've seen us work hard to 418 00:18:33,790 --> 00:18:35,550 to strengthen partnerships and 419 00:18:35,550 --> 00:18:37,710 alliances in the uh in the region . 420 00:18:37,710 --> 00:18:40,210 This is , this is my , I think my fifth 421 00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:42,500 visit to the region since I've been 422 00:18:42,500 --> 00:18:45,840 Secretary of Defense , I'll make a lot 423 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:47,784 more visits over the coming coming 424 00:18:47,784 --> 00:18:50,060 years , but I think this is critical so 425 00:18:51,060 --> 00:18:53,282 well from an Australian point of view , 426 00:18:53,282 --> 00:18:55,393 as I said earlier , our Alliance with 427 00:18:55,393 --> 00:18:57,616 the United States is completely central 428 00:18:57,616 --> 00:18:59,616 to our national security and to our 429 00:18:59,616 --> 00:19:01,727 world view and the alliance has never 430 00:19:01,727 --> 00:19:03,949 been more important than it is now . So 431 00:19:03,949 --> 00:19:06,400 the Alliance for Australia is 432 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,770 fundamentally important and enjoys huge 433 00:19:09,770 --> 00:19:12,740 public support within Australia . 434 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,780 Looked at more broadly . The 435 00:19:15,780 --> 00:19:17,613 observation I would make is that 436 00:19:17,613 --> 00:19:19,391 America is a country which does 437 00:19:19,391 --> 00:19:21,613 alliances , others don't necessarily do 438 00:19:21,613 --> 00:19:23,447 it . And what that means is that 439 00:19:23,447 --> 00:19:25,502 America is a country that works with 440 00:19:25,502 --> 00:19:27,669 others and seeks to work with those in 441 00:19:27,669 --> 00:19:29,447 the global community which says 442 00:19:29,447 --> 00:19:31,730 everything about the United States role 443 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:34,380 as a global leader and for countries 444 00:19:34,380 --> 00:19:36,602 around the world who share a commitment 445 00:19:36,602 --> 00:19:38,824 to the global rules based order , it is 446 00:19:38,824 --> 00:19:40,658 profoundly important that we are 447 00:19:40,658 --> 00:19:43,640 working as closely as we can right now 448 00:19:43,650 --> 00:19:45,706 and that builds stability within our 449 00:19:45,706 --> 00:19:47,706 world . You know from an Australian 450 00:19:47,706 --> 00:19:49,872 point of view . Obviously our alliance 451 00:19:49,872 --> 00:19:51,928 is important um but as we look north 452 00:19:51,928 --> 00:19:53,928 from Australia and see the alliance 453 00:19:53,928 --> 00:19:55,928 between the United States and Japan 454 00:19:55,928 --> 00:19:57,980 that to us is a pillar of security 455 00:19:57,990 --> 00:20:01,280 within East Asia and within the pacific . 456 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:04,450 The fact of the matter is that in the 457 00:20:04,450 --> 00:20:07,490 world today America's system of 458 00:20:07,490 --> 00:20:10,460 alliances is profoundly important . It 459 00:20:10,470 --> 00:20:13,500 is the edge and it matters deeply in 460 00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:15,667 terms of providing security around the 461 00:20:15,667 --> 00:20:17,778 world . It matters deeply in terms of 462 00:20:17,778 --> 00:20:19,944 providing security in the indo pacific 463 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,060 Mr Secretary Mr . Deputy Prime Minister 464 00:20:23,060 --> 00:20:25,171 thank you both gentlemen , ladies and 465 00:20:25,171 --> 00:20:27,282 gentlemen , this is all the time . We 466 00:20:27,282 --> 00:20:29,393 have available today . This concludes 467 00:20:29,393 --> 00:20:29,240 our press briefing . Thank you 468 00:20:30,060 --> 00:20:30,490 beautiful