Washington, 16 September 2021 (TDI): On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III welcomed the Australian Minister for Defense, Peter Dutton, at the Pentagon. The meeting aimed at discussing bilateral issues, and the significance of AUSMIN (Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations).
The officials discussed various topics concerning national security and reaffirmed the ‘unbreakable alliance’ between the two countries. On a similar occasion, US State secretary Antony Blinken met with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to discuss the mutual commitment shared by both countries to ensure the prosperity of the Indo-Pacific ahead of 2021 AUSMIN, taking place on September 16.
The two countries will co-host the 2021 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations at the US State Department on Thursday. AUSMIN, serving as the main annual forum for consultations between the respective states, provides an opportunity for the US and Australia to enable discussions on important regional and global issues, besides deepening the bilateral relations and defense cooperation between the two.
