US to expand military presence in Australia

The United States will accelerate its military presence in Australia, with Defence Minister Richard Marles flagging upcoming announcements on expanded US force posture following talks with Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth in Washington DC. Marles and Hegseth discussed growing US operations at Australian bases, building on existing arrangements including Marine rotations through Darwin and Submarine Rotational Force-West at HMAS Stirling, where about 1,000 US Navy personnel will be based from next year to support Virginia-class submarines. The Pentagon readout cited plans to accelerate force posture initiatives and boost military-industrial cooperation, including guided missile production. Marles said announcements will come at the AUSMIN meeting in coming months, framing the expansion as deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, while also confirming confidence in the AUKUS submarine deal and highlighting Australia's defence spending at 2.8 percent of GDP.