The governments of the United States and Australia held their annual Strategic Policy Dialogue (SPD) on February 27 in Honolulu. The SPD, established in 2019, is a forum for the United States and Australia to discuss cooperation on deterrence, including on extended deterrence, arms control, and the maintenance of regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. delegation was co-chaired by Mallory Stewart, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, Department of State, and Dr. Vipin Narang, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Department of Defense. The Australian side was co-chaired by Sarah deZoeten, First Assistant Secretary Defence and National Security Policy, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Sheridan Kearnan, First Assistant Secretary Strategic Policy, Department of Defence.
The United States and Australia reaffirmed their commitment to advance security and stability in the Indo-Pacific and continue coordination on diplomatic efforts and integration of defense efforts to ensure a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Both sides shared their perspectives on the prospects for arms control and risk reduction in the region. The two sides also reinforced the importance of increased transparency and substantive engagement to reduce the risk of unintended escalation or conflict in the region. Both sides emphasized the valuable role of multilateral diplomacy and regional institutions in the Indo-Pacific, in particular the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Pacific Islands Forum.
The United States and Australia reaffirmed the value of the SPD, the fifth since the dialogue was established, as a policy forum for strengthening U.S.-Australian collaboration on security priorities in the Indo-Pacific, including extended deterrence.