US and Australia announce efforts to increase ammunition production

The US and Australia on Tuesday announced a new collaborative effort to boost production of critical munitions, as the allies strengthen a pact focused on deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.

The countries will work together to manufacture Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), which fire surface-to-surface rockets, and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), which are a type of long-range precision strike missile, for procurement by Australia.

Washington and Canberra are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding by the end of the year to co-produce the weapons and will create a joint program office in early 2025 to help oversee the efforts.

At a press conference Tuesday in Annapolis, Maryland, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles praised the efforts as a sign of strengthening ties between their nations.

Austin said the US is “pursuing different initiatives with each of our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.”

“And all this work, all this vital work, builds greater peace, stability and deterrence across the region,” he said in opening remarks.

Marles said efforts to co-manufacture GMLRS and PrSMs highlighted “working much closer to our defense industry bases.”

“This will provide huge opportunities for Australian companies to participate and contribute to the supply chain here in the United States,” he said at the press conference. “And as part of this, we are seeing much greater cooperation between our two defense innovation systems.”

Agreements reached this week also include improving force posture, including more rotations of U.S. forces in Australia and long-term operating locations in the country for American troops.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also attended the meeting in Annapolis on Tuesday.

The meeting follows a historic 2021 pact between Australia, the UK and the US, called AUKUS, which aims to deliver nuclear-powered submarines to Canberra. Another pillar of AUKUS includes cooperation on advanced technologies.

And as part of the Cruzeiro do Sul Integrated Flight Research Experiment, the US and Australia are pushing to develop an air-launched hypersonic weapon. The US has not yet fielded a true hypersonic missile, although China and Russia have deployed weapons that can fly at Mach 5 or faster.

The US has been increasing support and strengthening alliances across the Indo-Pacific as tensions with China increase in the region.

Last week, Austin and Blinken concluded a trip to Japan and the Philippines that saw important new developments with both Pacific nations.

A US defense official said Australia would also work more closely on joint exercises and training, including with other allies such as Japan and the Philippines.

“We will be talking in the coming days about ways in which Japan can further integrate into the US force posture in Australia,” the official said, adding that they would also talk about bringing the Philippines into the mix. “Our goal is a more regular and consistent series of maritime cooperative activities. And I think you’ll see that in the near term.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story