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Defense Minister Richard Marles answers questions at a press conference in Washington after the ministerial meeting annual AUSMIN talks.
Marles declined to provide any details regarding the Pentagon’s review of AUKUS. was presented to the government last weekhe claims only to be “looking at ways AUKUS could be done better.”
“Last week, we received the AUKUS review from the United States, which we are very grateful to receive… and having us contribute to the review means we are moving forward at full speed, and that is very much the context in which the review was written.
“The review is essentially looking at ways in which AUKUS can be done better, and we continue to work with the United States and the United Kingdom on how we can do AUKUS better,” he said.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left) and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles arrive at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Washington for an event. Credit: access point
Pressed at today’s meetings on whether the US would put more pressure on Australia to increase its defense spending, the Defense Minister kept his mouth tight, saying he would not disclose the details of the talks.
“We are very clear on our position on defense spending and where this is going, that this has led to the largest increase in peacetime defense spending in Australian history and that has been recognized by the United States.
“But I think describing the discussions as frank speaks to the closeness of the relationship… and I’m not going to give you a running commentary, conversations, public comments, which is very much reflected in the way the meeting was conducted behind closed doors,” Marles told reporters.
