The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia signed a cooperation agreement on new technologies, including autonomous systems, as they intensify their security ties in the face of China’s military escalation in the Indo-Pacific region .
In a joint statement issued after their meeting in Hawaii, the three countries also stated that their forces intend to conduct an “inaugural regional live-fire air and missile defense exercise in 2027” in a regular multinational military exercise.
The three-way talks between Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles came ahead of the quadrilateral meeting in which the Philippine Defense Secretary will participate , Gilberto Teodoro.
Japan and the US will strengthen their security ties with the United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines
In the statement, Kihara, Austin and Marles said they will “continue to discuss opportunities for cooperation” in cutting-edge technology, also including areas of “collaborative fighter aircraft” and “composite aerospace materials.”
They affirmed that cooperation in new technologies will be carried out within the framework of their new trilateral Agreement on Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation Projects.
The three also agreed to conduct joint trilateral training of F-35 fighter jets in each of their countries over the next two years until 2026.
Regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine, the defense chiefs strongly condemned the “growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia,” including Pyongyang’s export and Moscow’s acquisition of North Korean ballistic missiles in violation of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The three also condemned Russia’s use of the missiles against Ukraine.
Source: https://reporteasia.com/relaciones-diplomaticas/2024/05/05/japon-ee-uu-y-australia-firman-un-pacto-de-cooperacion-tecnologica-en-materia-de-defensa/
